Dubai World Cup 2025: The National's top picks as Forever Young aims to make history

The action kicks off with the lone Purebred Arabian contest before eight Thoroughbred races

Tadhg O'Shea guides Tuz to win the Dubawi Stakes at Meydan Racecourse in March. The eight year old is drawn in Gate 5 of the Group 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen on Dubai World Cup night. Pawan Singh / The NationalShow less

Live: Dubai World Cup blog

The stage is set for an extravagant, action-packed 29th edition of the Dubai World Cup. Up for grabs is a whopping $30.5 million across nine races highlighted by the Dubai World Cup as the grand finale.

Kicking off the action is the Group 1 Dubai Kahayla Classic, the unofficial Dubai World Cup for the Purebred Arabians run over the 2,000-metre track and trip of the feature thoroughbred race.

Heading the 14-runner field is the reigning champion Tilal Al Khalediah. The seven year old has maintained his form well by winning four of his five starts since his triumph at Meydan just over 12 months ago.

He went down to stablemate Asfan Al Khalediah by a neck in his second last start before bouncing back in the Arabian showpiece at the Saudi Cup meeting on February 22.

The likely challenge for the Nasser Mutlaq Alkahtani Saudi star could come from Najeeb Al Zaman, First Classs and the couple of mares in the lineup – RB Malexis and RB Mary Lylah.

The first of the seven races for the Thoroughbreds – the Dubai Gold Cup, run over the 3,200m distance on turf – appears to be a close one that includes three Godolphin entries.

Charlie Appleby sends out Trawlerman while Saeed bin Suroor is double handed with and Passion And Glory.

Trawlerman was third in this race last year and since then the seven-year-old Golden Horn gelding has run an excellent second to Kyprios in the Group 1 Gold Cup and finished third behind the same horse in the Group 2 British Champions Long Distance Cup, both at Ascot. He should be a big player if fully tuned up for the task.

Tower Of London won the prize for Aidan O’Brien last year and the Ballydoyle trainer has arrived with his 2023 St Leger winner Continuous, who appears to be primed to retain the title for Ireland.

Returning to the track for the first time in over two months, the five year old finished third in the Group 2 Red Sea Turf Handicap at the Saudi Cup meeting. He should come from that run to reverse the result over Epic Poet who finished ahead of him in second in that race.

UAE star trainer Bhupat Seemar during the Dubai World Cup draw ceremony at the Meydan Racecourse in Dubai. All images Chris Whiteoak / The National

UAE champion jockey and and Dubai World Cup winner Tadhg O'Shea

Forever Young trainer Yoshito Yahagi during the Dubai World Cup draw ceremony

Eduardo Soto, owner of Il Miracolo, during the Dubai World Cup draw ceremony

Trainer Bhupat Seemar at the Meydan Racecourse

The Dubai World Cup draw ceremony took place at Meydan

Raging Torrent and Mufasa should battle it out in the Group 2 Godolphin Mile while West Acre looks to have an excellent chance to complete a Meydan hat-trick in the Group 1 Al Quoz Sprint. Flood Zone looks good in the UAE Derby.

The Group 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen heads for an epic showdown between American raider Straight No Chaser and Bhupat Seemar’s champion sprinter Tuz.

Straight No Chaser arrives after a demolition job at the Saudi Cup meeting. The six year old by Speightster was an impressive winner of the Riyadh Dirt Sprint and is five out of eight.

Tuz is undefeated in all four starts this season since his success in the same race last year. The eight-year-old Oxbow gelding is drawn in Gate 5 and if he jumps out and grabs the inside rail, he will be hard to catch.

Romantic Warrior ran a cracking race in defeat to Forever Young in the $20 million Saudi Cup and his trainer Danny Shum has opted for the Group 1 Dubai Turf rather than a re-match against the Japanese star.

The Group 1 Dubai Sheema Classic appears to be another cracker between Calandagan, Shin Emperor and Godolphin’s Rebel’s Romance.

History can be made by Forever Young in the final race. If successful, Yoshito Yahagi’s Real Steel colt would become the first horse to win both the Saudi and Dubai Grand Slam to add to his record of winning the Saudi Derby and UAE Derby last year.