Timeframe: a look back at the first Dubai World Cup in 1996

As the race returns for its 26th year, take a look back at how it all began

US jockey Jerry Bailey at the Dubai World Cup in 1996 on Horse of the Year Cigar, after winning the $4 million race on March 27 that year. AFP

Bailey, right, riding Cigar, celebrates as he crosses the the finish line. AFP

Allen Paulson, owner of Horse of the Year Cigar, is presented with the Dubai World Cup trophy in 1996 by Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid, then ruler of Dubai. Getty Images

Bailey on Cigar edges out Soul of the Matter to win. Getty Images

A spectator at the race. Getty Images

The presentation ceremony after the Dubai World Cup at Nad Al Sheba. Getty Images

The Nad Al Sheba racecourse in Dubai, which played host to the Dubai World Cup in 1996. Getty Images

Bailey on Cigar celebrates after the race. Getty Images

Jockey Mamora Ishibasho riding Japanese horse Lively Mount is lead around the parade ring. Getty Images

Racegoers asses at the horses in the parade ring. Getty Images

The 1996 Dubai World Cup presentation ceremony. Getty Images

The first Dubai World Cup, founded by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, took place in 1996 and quickly cemented its place as one of the biggest events on the global horse-racing calendar.

The event took place at Nad Al Sheba Racecourse, where US jockey Jerry Bailey and his horse Cigar won the race, which was worth $4 million. Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid, who at the time was Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, awarded the trophy.

"That moment on Cigar may well be the best moment in my life," Bailey later told The National.

In 2010, the race moved to the new Meydan Racecourse, which is the world's largest integrated racing facility, with a grandstand seating capacity of more than 60,000.

On Saturday, the race will take place for the 26th time. The meeting will feature 131 horses from 13 countries, including 78 top-calibre horses from outside the UAE, which will compete with 53 Emirati horses that are among the strongest in the country, including from the Godolphin stables.

It is still one of the richest days of horse racing in the world, with a total prize fund of $30.5 million. The final race of the cup, sponsored by Emirates airline, has a prize of $12 million and is expected to produce fierce competition, especially with the participation of the best American horses, which will compete with each other and against carefully prepared local horses over the 2,000-metre stretch.