MIDDLE EAST CONFLICT LEAVES THE US$ 30.5 MILLION DUBAI WORLD CUP IN LIMBO

By Graham Potter | Tuesday, March 3, 2026

While there are obviously far more important and wide-ranging implications of the escalating conflict in the Middle East, where it really has become a matter of life and death, the disruption of racing can only be viewed as little more than a minor inconvenience … but it is a disruption, nevertheless.

While the Super Saturday meeting at Meydan went ahead, the meeting at Jebel Ali on Sunday was cancelled as the UAE came under threat from retaliatory missile and drone strikes by Iran in response to the USA and Israel’s attack on that country.

With no resolution in the short term, it is impossible to put a timeline on how long the conflict will impact proceedings, meaning that the US$ 30.5 million Dubai World Cup meeting on March 28, which is due to feature the likes of champion racehorses Forever Young and Calandagan, can effectively be considered to be in limbo at this time.

With the closure of the airspace over the territory and the resultant mass cancellation of flights, the same can be said of a host of racing identities … including trainers and jockeys … who were due to leave Dubai after Super Saturday with the expectation of returning to their home bases to continue business as usual.

Now their travel arrangements are in the lap of the gods.

On a separate front, the travel movement of horses has also been affected, including that of the Northern Hemisphere raiders looking to chase the Sydney Autumn Carnival riches.

These horses include two William Haggas trained horses, the multiple Group 1 winner Dubai Honour … who has won the last two Tancred Stakes in Australia … and Caviar Heights, who were both left stranded in England by the hostility in the Middle East.

Their presence will add obvious lustre to the Carnival if a change of arrangement and a different, safe route to Sydney can be found.

The uncertainly of it all clouds the view moving forward and this unwelcome situation remains something that has to be worked through on a daily basis.