One of 15 horses will win their connections £6 million on Saturday evening as the richest race on earth, the Dubai World Cup, takes place at Meydan.
Last year’s champion, Country Grammer, is back for more with trainer Bob Baffert, currently leading the market as the 3.50 favourite with William Hill.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: March 22nd, 3:00 P.M. (GMT)
The 6-year-old could become only the second horse after 2018 and 2019 winner Thunder Snow to retain the crown.
Perhaps more significantly, his jockey, Frankie Dettori, will retire at the end of the season as the most successful jockey in the race outright if he gets his sixth win this weekend.
Since the 2022 triumph, Country Grammer has been runner up four times from five races, with the exception being a win in the San Antonio Stakes in December.
The most recent of those seconds was in the Saudi Cup last month where he was beaten by under a length by Panthalassa.
That was Panthalassa’s first win since a dead heat at this meeting last year in the Dubai Turf. In between, Yoshito Yahagi’s 6-year-old has had two seconds and two unplaced runs in graded company. He is at 10.00 this time.
Separating the two in the market is 5.00 chance Algiers for Simon & Ed Crisford. He was eighth when a 34.00 chance in the Godolphin Mile at last year’s meeting but will be well prepared for Meydan this time having won two Grade 2s at the track in 2023 under the guidance of James Doyle, who will ride again this time.
The next eight in the market from Panthalassa are all schooled by Japanese trainers, starting with 11.00 shot Ushba Tesoro for Noburu Takagi, who has only run in local Grade 1s before but won both this year.
Yuga Kawada will take his first ride on the 6-year-old, however.
Vela Azul (11.00) is another lightly raced 6-year-old who has never run outside Japan and will also have a new jockey on board, Cristian Demuro.
Cafe Pharaoh was third behind Panthalassa in Riyadh under what was his first ride with Joao Moreira. The two will pair up again and are currently 13.00 as are Geoglyph and Christophe Lemaire, who finished fourth in the Saudi Cup.
Completing the 13.00 club is T O Keynes, who was runner up to Ushba Tesoro in the Kawasaki Kinen in early February.
Crown Pride (17.00) is without a win since the 2022 UAE Derby and second to Jun Light Bolt (21.00) in the Champions Cup at Chukyo. Jun Light Bolt then disappointed at Riyadh.
67.00 outsider Remorse is the only other survivor from last year’s World Cup.
