On Saturday, March 25, 2023, 892 individual horses from 21 different countries traveled to Dubai to compete at the Dubai World Cup Meeting at the Meydan Racecourse. It was the 27th time this event had taken place. It is famously known as the richest horse race in the world, with over $30.5 million up for grabs in prize money!
The Dubai World Cup is one of the largest races on the horse racing calendar, with championship events in every division and incredible purses to show for it. Plus, as one of the first major events of the season, it’s an excellent opportunity for horse race betting.
The main attraction here is the G1 race, featuring US thoroughbred Country Grammer, who attempted to become the second-ever horse to repeat at Dubai, having won in 2022. Country Grammer won as an 8-to-1 underdog in the 2023 edition of the race – unsurprisingly, he headed into this year’s race as a favorite with the legendary trainer, Bob Baffert, by his side.
Below, we will review the Dubai World Cup odds, recap the famous race, and what the Dubai horse race entails.
Dubai World Cup Race Recap
On Saturday, March 25, Ushba Tesoro (+1000) capped an impressive come-from-behind victory for Japan. With this victory, Ushba Tesoro won the grand prize of $12 million, and it was in a ridiculous fashion.
The odds-on favorite, Algiers, appeared to have won this race before Ushba Tesoro made a ferocious comeback. At one point, Ushba Tesoro was in dead last before the stretch turn, where jockey Yuga Kawada had his horse turn on the jets for the final rundown.
Algiers (+300) finished second, just ahead of Emblem Road (+1400). Last year’s winner, Country Grammar, finished in 7th place.
Saudi Cup winner, Panthalassa (+1200), was one of the race’s biggest disappointments, finishing in 10th place.
Top Dubai World Cup Promo Code Offers
Below we’ve compiled our top racebooks for all horse racing betting for this upcoming season! All of our top horse race betting sites, including TwinSpires, TVG, 4NJBets, and AmWager will be taking action on the races.
TwinSpires (Horse)- Promo Code: USBRACING
- Betting Arm of Churchill Downs
- Legal in 35+ States
DRF Bets (Horse)- DRF Promo Code
- Excellent Welcome Offer
- Horse Racing Authority Since 1894
FanDuel Racing$20 No Sweat Bet
- No Promo Code Required
- Exclusive Horse Racing Offer
- Available in 25+ States
- 18+. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER
AmWager- AmWager Promo Code
- Active in 25+ States
- Taking Bets Since 2009
| Horse Racing Apps | Sign Up Offer |
|---|---|
TwinSpires 4.8 Stars / 66.1K Ratings 4.6 Stars / 550 Ratings | $200 Sign Up Offer |
| DRF Bets 4.7 Stars / 3.7K Ratings 4.4 Stars / 386 Ratings | $200 Deposit Match |
| FanDuel Racing 4.6 Stars / 1.2K Ratings Not in play store | $20 No Sweat Bet |
| AmWager Not in app store Not in play store | 100% First Deposit Match up to $150 |
Pre-Race Dubai World Cup Odds
These were the closing Dubai World Cup odds before the race took place on March 25, 2023:
| Horses | Dubai World Cup Odds | Racebook With Best Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Algiers | +300 | TVG |
| Country Grammer | +300 | Twinspires |
| T O Keynes | +1000 | TVG |
| Ushba Tesoro | +1000 | TVG |
| Vela Azul | +1000 | 4NJBets |
| Cafe Pharoah | +1200 | TVG |
| Panthalassa | +1200 | TVG |
| Crown Pride | +1400 | TVG |
| Emblem Road | +1400 | Twinspires |
| Geoglyph | +1400 | TVG |
| Jun Light Bolt | +1600 | TVG |
| Salute The Soldier | +2500 | 4NJBets |
| Super Corinto | +3300 | TVG |
| Bendoog | +4000 | TVG |
| Remorse | +4000 | Twinspires |
Top Dubai World Cup Contenders
Among the 15 horses who were slated to race in this year’s G1 field, seven had odds of 12-to-1 or better. Here are some of the Dubai World Cup horse race favorites:
Country Grammer
Country Grammer raced for history on March 25 when the horse attempted to become the second runner to repeat the Dubai World Cup. To date the only horse to repeat in Dubai was Thunder Snow in both 2018 and 2019.
Country Grammer came off a second-place finish in the Saudi Cup at King Abdulaziz Racecourse, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, behind Japan’s Panthalassa, one of the other favorites in the G1 race, before the Dubai World Cup.
In Country Grammer’s corner stands legendary trainer Bob Baffert, who is one of the more colorful personalities in the sport. Baffert is filled with controversy, but his long track record of winning is undeniable and helps explain why Country Grammer is the slight favorite coming into the 2023 Dubai World Cup.
Algiers
Country Grammer was a big favorite, but so was Algiers. Algiers had been noted as one of the horses with the best chance to defeat Country Grammer.
Nobody in the field came in hotter than this horse, who had won his last two races – both of which were at Meydan Race Course. The races took place in January and February, respectively. The familiarity and recent dominance made Algiers an intriguing +300 horse in Dubai.
Algiers was just seconds away from winning its’ third consecutive race at Meydan Race Course – ultimately, finishing in 2nd place in the Dubai World Cup.
Panthalassa
As stated above, Panthalassa won the Saudi Cup earlier this year, earning over $10 million. The Japanese thoroughbred is trained by Yoshito Yahagi and jockeyed by Yutaka Yoshida.
Panthalassa came into this race third all-time in earnings among Japenese-bred horses. The field will feature eight Japanese horses – Panthalassa is the most accomplished of the bunch.
Other Horses to Watch
Some of the other highly touted horses in the G1 field included Cafe Pharoah, Emblem Road, and Crown Pride. Each of these horses placed in the top six in the Saudi Cup.
Meydan Racecourse
The Dubai World Cup is held at the Meydan Racecourse which is located just a few miles from the Dubai City Center. In addition to the pristine 2000m race course, there’s also a luxury hotel, several restaurants, and a horse racing museum on site. The primary grandstand runs for a full half mile and can house up to 60,000 fans. The Meydan Racecourse is home to several thoroughbred race series, with the Dubai World Cup serving as the stand out event.
Dubai World Cup FAQs
Ushba Tesoro (+1000) won the 27th edition of the Dubai World Cup! Ushba Tesoro is a Japanese thoroughbred jockeyed by Yuga Kawada.
The Dubai World Cup is a thoroughbred horse race held at the Meydan Racecourse, a prestigious Dubai race track, held in late March every year. This year will be the 27th time that the race has taken place. It is the pinnacle of Dubai horse racing.
It is known as the world’s richest horse race, with a massive purse of $30.5 million. Rest assured, the Dubai World Cup winners will be celebrating. The G1 race, the Main Event of the Dubai World Cup, will account for around $12 million of the $30.5m total. The G1 winner will take home a remarkable $7.2 million.
The distance of the Dubai World Cup race is approximately 2,000 meters (10 furlongs), which is comparable to the Kentucky Derby.
The Dubai World Cup took place on Saturday, March 25, 2023.
Post time for the Dubai World Cup took place at 3:30pm local time on Saturday, March 25.
As a thoroughbred race, the same horses that race in the Triple Crown races stateside could race in the Dubai World Cup. However, it’s a demanding travel schedule for the participants. Traditionally horses that are looking to run in the Derby, the Preakness, or the Belmont, will forgo Dubai World Cup – focusing all efforts on the prestige of the Triple Crown. However, once a horse has attained notoriety, the lucrative purse in Dubai is appealing. Rich Strike, the shock Kentucky Derby winner for 2022 was considering a run in Dubai in 2023, but ultimately backed out over travel concerns.
