THIS IS INTERNATIONAL RACING AT ITS VERY BEST

By Graham Potter | Friday, March 27, 2026

It is a race-day like no other and this year the thirtieth running of the Dubal World Cup meeting at Meydan on Saturday will be even more unusual, framed as it is against the backdrop of war in the middle east where the safety of all concerned will remain the highest priority amidst the more pleasurable chase for the huge prize-money on offer.

A profile of just two runners is all that is needed to underline the strength of the program and the international interest it attracts.

Forever Young, the Japanese bred, trained and owned superstar will run in the US12 million Dubai World Cup.

His eleven wins from fourteens starts includes back-to-back wins in the US$20 million Saudi Cup (2025 and 2026). In 2025 he also won the US$7 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic, this time beating Sierra Leone and Fierceness, the two horses who had kept Forever Young back in third place in the race a year earlier.

Trainer Yoshito Yahagi and Forever Young will be seeking similar redemption of sorts at Meydan on Saturday in the US$12 million Dubai World Cup showdown where the son of Real Steel will once again cross swords with the defending champion Hit Show who won last year when Forever Young finished third.

Yahagi’s superb management of his star is underlined by the fact that when he has been beaten Forever Young has finishing in third place, and two of those results came at the elite level of international racing namely in last year’s Dubai World Cup and in the Kentucky Derby where he was involved in a three-way photo-finish.

He simply does not dodge anyone and, as much as he represents the highest quality, he also brings a firm, focussed, fighting mindset to every challenge as was so much in evidence in that punishing stride for stride battle with Romantic Warrior in the 2025 Saudi Cup.

The Dubai World Cup is race nine on the card.

The Dubai Sheema Classic, takes place one race prior to the Dubai World Cup, will feature the French trained Galandagan, rated Longines Best (top rated) Racehorse of 2025, who will be bidding for his fifth consecutive Group 1 success following on wins in the Grand Prix de Saint Cloud, The King George V1 and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, the Champion Stakes and the Japan Cup.

Like Forever Young, the Francis-Henri Graffard trained Galandagan is on a mission to set the record straight at Meydan. He finished second to the Japanese trained runner Danon Decile in last year’s Dubai Sheema Classic and is looking to go one better.

Forever Young and Galandagan share those goals on Saturday, and they also bring a record of rare distinction with them with Forever Young having been the first Japanese runner to land the Breeder’s Cup Classic and Galandagan being the first foreign winner of the Japan Cup in twenty years.

When winning the Japan Cup Galandagan set a new Japan Cup and a 2400m turf world record time of 2:20.3.

And you could go on and on with a host of other outstanding runner coming into play over nine riveting races … Ombudsman (John and Thady Gosden), Magnitude (Steve Asmussen), Ethical Diamond (Willie Mullins) and Al Rifa (Joseph O’Brien) to mention a few.

Suffice to say, this is international racing at its very best.