Dubai’s $12m World Cup horse race cancelled

DUBAI: Racing’s ‘Dubai World Cup’ has been postponed until next year due to the coronavirus, organisers said on Sunday.

This year’s event was scheduled for March 28.The main race carries a purse of 12 million USD (11.2 million euros) at the state-of-the-art Meydan racecourse in Dubai.

“Dubai World Cup has decided to postpone the 25th edition of the global event until next year,” a statement said. The event was created by horse enthusiast Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai.

The main race is a Group 1 flat race of 2km run on a dirt track and has been won by Maktoum’s own Godolphin stable with Irish horse Thunder Snow mounted by the great Belgian jockey Christophe Soumillon in the last two seasons.