Calandagan has been given the go-ahead to run in the Dubai Sheema Classic on Dubai World Cup night at Meydan next week.
Officially rated the best horse in the world following a Japan Cup victory to add to his incredible success in Europe, his participation had been in some doubt due to the conflict in the Middle East.
Doubts had been raised as to whether the Francis Graffard-trained thoroughbred would be in Dubai for the big night due to ongoing conflict engulfing the Middle East.
However, his owners, the Aga Khan Studs, believe the situation is safe for Calandagan to travel and will now hook up with another World Cup night runner Rayevka, who is already in Dubai.
Nemone Routh, racing manager for the family, said: “We’ve been very happy with Calandagan.
“This race has always been his target as we weren’t keen on sending him to Hong Kong. He had an entry, but we didn’t think it was the right race as it would have been a difficult start to the year to go out there.
“If we didn’t run in Dubai then we’d have been looking at races in the summer. He’s in great form and we already have a filly out there with staff. We’ve been keeping in close contact with them.
“We’ve assessed the whole situation, worked the horse again this morning and he’s in great form so we’ve taken the decision to send him and run him next weekend.”
Organisers the Dubai Racing Club are adamant that the Dubai World Cup will go ahead as planned, telling The National on March 10: “The 30th Dubai World Cup will take place as scheduled at Meydan Racecourse on Saturday, 28 March 2026. Preparations continue as planned and we look forward to welcoming guests and the racing community for the event.”
This year’s World Cup night will have a slightly different feel, with fewer American and Japanese runners and a much smaller-than-usual cohort from the UK due to the disruption.
Saeed bin Suroor insists it is “business as usual” in Dubai just over a week away from World Cup night.
Racing at Meydan has continued despite the ongoing threat caused by Iranian missiles fired at the UAE and other Gulf countries by Tehran.
On February 28, the day Iran first launched its attacks, Dubai's premier track hosted Super Saturday, the traditional dress rehearsal for the Dubai World Cup. The event was attended by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai and owner of Godolphin, one of the biggest operations in racing. He watched Rebel's Romance take the honours in the Dubai City Of Gold race.
Further meetings have taken place at Meydan on March 6 and 13 without incident and Godolphin trainer Bin Suroor said everyone is calm about the situation.
“We’re looking forward to next Saturday,” Bin Suroor told the Press Association.
“We’ll be running Dubai Future in the Gold Cup, I took him for some work to Meydan the other day with Passion And Glory and he worked well, so we’re looking for a good run.
“We’re just carrying on as normal. It is not like you see in the media, it’s much calmer, as you would say it’s business as usual.
“Everything is open, the malls, the restaurants, the streets are busy. Life is normal here in the UAE.
“Hopefully it is over soon."
One of the richest nights in horse racing, the Dubai World Cup pits the world's best horses across nine races, with a total prize purse of $30.5 million.
The feature Dubai World Cup race boasts the highest single race purse of the event, with the winner walking away with $12 million.
