Meydan Racing Tips: Dubai World Cup Day, 4/5/2025

The signature Dubai World Cup card at Meydan Racecourse happens Saturday, April 5. The highlight of the day, and of the entire winter carnival meet, is the $12 million Dubai World Cup, a 1 ¼-mile race on the dirt track for the top older horses in the world. The likely favorite in the Dubai World Cup is Forever Young, who won the Saudi Derby (G1) last out and was also third in both the Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup Classic last year. He leads a field of 11 in the day’s richest race.

The day’s card at Meydan features nine Group-level stakes races, eight for Thoroughbreds and one for Purebred Arabians. In addition to the Dubai World Cup, many eyes in North America will be on the UAE Derby (G2) in particular. That 1 ⅛-mile dirt race offers a $1 million purse, and also virtually guarantees its winner a spot in the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs as the highlight of the Europe and Middle East series of Kentucky Derby qualifying races. Last year, its winner Forever Young went on to run third in both the Kentucky Derby and the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

The race card gets underway at 4:35 p.m. Gulf Standard Time, or 8:35 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time, later than usual in order to avoid scorching-hot midday weather. You can watch all the horse racing action on FanDuel TV, and bet on the races all day long at FanDuel! Though the weather in Dubai often stays dry because the city is located in the Arabian Desert, it is always worth checking for scratches, especially since they can happen for any reason, and can affect the pace setup and class balance of a race.

With less than a month until the race, get the latest Kentucky Derby Odds and see which Kentucky Derby Contenders are set to win.

Meydan Racecourse Picks

Race 4 - Al Quoz Sprint (G1) - six furlongs on the turf - West Acre, Marbaan

FanDuel odds: 4-1 and 10-1

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Six furlongs is a bit of an unconventional sprint distance, as turf sprints more often cover five or five and a half. And, that’s the question with West Acre (4-1), as all of his wins have come at five furlongs, and his second-place finishes going six. But, he is a three-year-old with every right to keep improving, and his pedigree suggests he should have no problem with six (or even a bit longer) in the end. And, though he is younger, he has won two straight sprint stakes at Meydan against older, showing he loves the course and he is good enough for this level. He also gets a sweet weight break for being three. With plenty of speed drawn in, expect West Acre to come flying home in the final furlong.

Marbaan (10-1) is another who has shined during the Dubai Carnival; he comes into the Al Quoz off of wins in the Al Fahidi Fort (G2) and the Ras al Khor (G3), a pair of seven-furlong turf stakes. Six furlongs is going to be the question here; he has emerged as a seven-furlong, mile horse since moving to the Middle East. But, earlier in his career, he has hit the board twice in four starts, going six furlongs on the lawn. And, he is tactical enough to carve a trip—perhaps the cutback in distance will have him slightly further off the lead than usual, leaving plenty in the tank for his smart late finish.

Race 5 - UAE Derby, 1 3/16 miles on the dirt - Flood Zone, Galactic Star

FanDuel odds: 9-5 and 12-1

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Without an overwhelming amount of pace in the UAE Derby, the horse who controls the early fractions could be in a very good spot, especially given how well Meydan can play for speed on big days. Enter Flood Zone (9-5). This Brad Cox trainee has shown speed in both of his winning starts, a 6 ½-furlong maiden win as well as a score in the Gotham (G3) at a one-turn mile. That kind of speed should be enough to get him on the front in the UAE Derby. The big question with him is distance, since he tries two turns for the first time, stretching all the way out from a mile to 1 3/16 miles. But, sire Frosted was a Grade 1 winner at 1 ⅛ miles, and he is out of a Curlin mare with some class at long distances down the female family, meaning he may well have the stamina to handle the extra distance. Plus, of course, the pace advantage may help more than anything.

Galactic Star (12-1) won the local prep, the Al Bastakiya, over this same course and distance on February 21. So, unlike most of the foes in here, he is actually proven at the trip. The knock on him is that he has to face Heart of Honor again—and Heart of Honor only missed by a head in the Al Bastakiya after a troublesome trip. However, the Al Bastakiya is not the first time Heart of Honor has broken poorly. Should that tendency rear its ugly head again, Heart of Honor will cede a pace advantage again … making Galactic Star the in-form local likely to get a better setup, at a much better price.

Race 9 - Dubai World Cup, 1 ¼ miles on the dirt - Forever Young, Wilson Tesoro

FanDuel odds: 4-5 and 26-1

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Forever Young (4-5) will be a well-defined favorite, but everything points to him being difficult to beat in this spot. He has never run a bad race, and his only defeats have come in the Kentucky Derby and the Breeders’ Cup Classic, two of the top dirt races in the world. He is a three-time winner at classic distances, and his one try over the Meydan dirt was an impressive win in the UAE Derby (G2) last year on Dubai World Cup night. He is tactically versatile enough to run a winning race from near the front end or off of it, his regular rider, Ryusei Sakai (who also won with him at Meydan last year) rides, and anyone else will have to pop up with a career best to topple him.

An interesting long shot candidate in the Dubai World Cup is Wilson Tesoro (26-1). He is the second-stringer from the Noboru Takagi barn behind Ushba Tesoro, who is well-proven on class but tends to far more often be a placegetter than a win threat nowadays. Wilson Tesoro still seeks his signature win at this kind of level, but won a race as recently as November in Japan, at the same 1 ¼-mile distance as this. He has also come close against some heavy hitters, missing by only a nose to Lemon Pop in the Champions Cup (G1). three back and two back being beaten by only 1 ¾ lengths behind the aforementioned Forever Young in the Tokyo Daishoten (G1). He will need to bring his best, but his consistency and pace versatility make him appealing at a huge price.

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