The Al Maktoum Challenge (G1), a "win and you're in" for the $12 million Dubai World Cup (G1), highlights a program packed with group-level stakes on Fashion Friday Jan. 23 at Meydan Racecourse.
The evening's schedule also has the Jebel Hatta (G1T) at 1,800 meters (about 1 1/8 miles) on the turf, two group 2 events, and four group 3s. There are 11 group 1 winners set to compete and, when all's said and done, most of the local hopefuls for World Cup night March 28 will be set to welcome the usual influx of overseas talent.
Nine are declared for the Al Maktoum Challenge and six are trained by Bhupat Seemar, a dominant force in United Arab Emirates racing and one-time assistant to Bob Baffert in California. The squad features last year's winner, Walk of Stars, and the 2024 winner, Kabirkhan, a California Chrome horse who started his career in Russia.
Although they have the preponderance of numbers, Seemar's herd faces an imposing foe who finished ahead of several of them in their last meeting: Heart of Honor. Heart of Honor, by Honor A. P. , finished second in the 2025 UAE Derby (G2) and went on to report fifth in the Preakness Stakes (G1) and sixth in the Belmont Stakes (G1).
He is 2-for-2 during the current Dubai World Cup Carnival after winning the Dec. 19 The Entisar with another Seemar charge, Artorius, second. Walk of Stars was third in that with Kabirkhan seventh. Seemar offers excuses for both Walk of Stars and Kabirkhan and also holds out hope for improvement from Artorius, who carries the Juddmonte colors.
"Artorius was a very good horse in the States but then his form sort of tapered off a little bit," Seemar said. "He came over last year and kept on improving ... I think he'll improve again and I'm hoping for a very good run."
Improvement will be needed if Heart of Honor gets a setup similar to the one that played out in his late-running win in the Entisar.
"We know the style in which he's going to race. It's 'win ugly,'" trainer Jamie Osborne said. "As long as they go hard and turn it into a proper, end-to-end, stamina-requiring race, then he'll be coming into his own."
Jebel Hatta
It's no surprise that a top-level race on the Meydan turf would feature Godolphin runners. This time around it's Opera Ballo and Nations Pride toting the royal blue of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum's home team.
Opera Ballo, a 4-year-old by Ghaiyyath, easily relegated his stablemate into second in his Dubai debut Dec. 19, his fifth win from seven starts, and represents an important potential next step in the Godolphin/Darley sire line going back to Dubawi and Dubai Millennium. Seven-year-old Nations Pride, by Teofilo, has been short on wins in recent years but is a four-time grade/group 1 winner who scored back-to-back wins in 2022 in the Saratoga Derby Invitational Stakes (G1T) and Jockey Club Derby Invitational Stakes (G3T).
That pair may have scared off some potential competition as only four rivals survived final declarations. Among them are last year's third, Holloway Boy, and reigning Canadian International Stakes (G1T) winner Silawi. Nations Pride also won the Canadian International, in 2023.
"It's a small field but everyone in there deserves respect," said Godolphin trainer Charlie Appleby.
The Jebel Hatta is a logical prep for the Dubai Turf (G1T) on World Cup Night, where Nations Pride reported 10th a year ago as Soul Rush nosed out Hong Kong's Romantic Warrior for the win.
Al Fahidi Fort
Like the Maktoum Challenge, the big field for the 1,400-meter (about 7-furlong) Al Fahidi Fort (G2T) includes the last two winners—Godolphin's 2024 winner Mysterious Night and Marbaan, who banished him to second 12 months ago. In their most recent start, on a rare damp Meydan surface, Marbaan was third behind Mysterious Night in the Business Bay Challenge in December. Appleby said Mysterious Night "is entitled to come on (from) his first run of the season, which should hopefully put him bang there at the finish."
Al Shindagha Sprint
El Nasseeb won the Dubawi Sakes (G3) by 3 lengths in his last start Jan. 2 and takes on the second-, third-, and fifth-place finishers from that race again in the 1,200-meter (about 6-furlong) Al Shindagha Sprint (G3). Mufasa was second in the Dubawi with Colour Up third and last year's Dubai Golden Shaheen (G1) winner Dark Saffron fifth.
Blue Point Sprint
Defending champion West Acre gives it another go in the 1,000-meter (about 5-furlong) Blue Point Sprint (G2T) down the Meydan turf chute. The 4-year-old was second to Spartan Arrow on the Dundalk all-weather course in October and skipped his scheduled first start at the Carnival because of bad weather. Even though he again faces Spartan Arrow, trainer George Scott said the 4-year-old Mehmas gelding is "a horse who clearly enjoys this set of circumstances." Cover Up exits a smart win and has William Buick in the irons for Simon and Ed Crisford.
The Firebreak Stakes (G3) at 1,600 meters on the dirt, opens the Thoroughbred portion of the evening after a starter for Purebred Arabians. The program also features the UAE Two Thousand Guineas (G3), a Euro/Mideast Road to the Kentucky Derby points race, and concludes with the Al Khail Trophy (G3T) for stayers.
And yes, there will be plenty of fashion on display on Fashion Friday in the Meydan grandstand.
