A Visitor's Guide to the Upcoming Dubai World Cup 2020

Dubai is well-known for its penchant for extravagance around the world. With the world’s largest human-made island, the world’s largest shopping mall, and the world’s tallest building, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that when Dubai chose to venture into the famously fancy sport of horse racing, it’d forge the richest race day in the world.

It’s a truly unique occasion, especially given the setting compared with many of the other colossal horse racing events in the world, making the Dubai World Cup a bucket list item for many followers of the sport. Each year, the top-class event reels in more and more race fans, so if you’re planning on becoming one of the thousands of race day patrons at the 2020 Dubai World Cup, what do you need to know?

What is the Dubai World Cup 2020?

Each year, from January to March, the Dubai World Cup Carnival is held to reward a prize pool of US$12.74 million across ten meets. The pinnacle of the festival is the Dubai World Cup Day, which falls on March 28 this year. The event features six Group 1 races and three Group 2 races, which includes the featured US$12 million Dubai World Cup race.

It stands as the richest day of the horse racing in the world, with the 2020 Dubai World Cup meeting celebrating its 25th anniversary. Having been founded in 1996 through the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Rule of Dubai, the meet has built itself an incredible legacy of top-class racing and huge prizes.

Where is the 2020 Dubai World Cup

The Dubai World Cup takes place at Meydan Racecourse to the south of Dubai International Airport and Dubai Festival City. It stands as the city’s most glamorous event, featuring fashionistas from around the world, international celebrities, and a who’s who of Dubai society, with the immense venue being perfect for such a prestigious event.

Meydan Racecourse was opened in 2010, being built to replace the Nad Al Sheba Racecourse, and holds the Meydan Marina, a five-star trackside hotel, a racing museum, and a mile-long grandstand that can host over 60,000 race fans. While horse racing is the focus of the day, visitors will want to explore the lavish site and everything that it has to offer.

Traditional horse racing aspects of the Dubai World Cup 2020

Across the world, the primary purpose of horse racing as a spectator sport is the betting. The two are intrinsically tied, and yet broadly speaking, gambling is prohibited in the UAE. However, it is possible to access and safely use online gambling sites, 

• No jeans, t-shirts, shorts, flip-flops, or trainers in the Parade Ring.
• Skirts and dresses should fall at or below the knee.
• No see-through materials.
• Midriffs should be well covered.
• Necklines need to be demure.