The Dubai World Cup (G1) always was going to be a success, but the race got a jet-propelled assist into prominence when America's best, Cigar, got the trophy in that first edition at the old Nad Al Sheba track in long-ago 1996.
Even the, shall we say, jaded fans at the long-gone State and Lake Off-Track Betting in Chicago were on their feet and cheering for Cigar and jockey Jerry Bailey.
The horse made the World Cup a truly world event and arguably jet-propelled a race of its own—a scramble among jurisdictions to attract equine stars to their premier events.
That's nothing new. Going back to the dawn of international transport, tracks with global ambitions have dreamed up all kinds of schemes to lure competition from abroad.
Case in point: The Arlington Million Stakes (G1T) was international from its inception, but that didn't stop proprietor Richard L. Duchossois from negotiating a scheme to link his "International Festival of Racing" with the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (G1) weekend in Paris. Not much came of that, but the effort itself speaks volumes.
And, of course, the "Breeders' Cup World Championships" moniker seemed cheeky at first, but quickly was made good with top-rung international runners for its turf events. Then, in the constant quest to stay ahead of the competition, Breeders' Cup created, and has expanded, the highly successful international Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In to draw talent from all corners of the planet.
What is new is the recent intensity of global competition for the best horses with money, marketing, and management all deployed as lures by an ever-growing list of ambitious racing jurisdictions.
At the center of the action, dating back to the late 1970s, has been the International Racing Bureau, operated out of Alton House on High Street in Newmarket, England, epicenter of Thoroughbred racing.
"We have represented the likes of NYRA and Woodbine in Europe for more than 40 years," Adrian Beaumont, IRB's director of racecourse services, told BloodHorse. "We have represented Breeders' Cup in Europe since its inception and I have attended all Breeders' Cup meetings since Santa Anita in 1986 when we ran the great Dancing Brave in the Turf.
"Since those early days, foreign rivalries have made international meetings something different and special. The highly rated international horses help increase the status of the races and having international participation helps to drive betting handle—especially when the World Pool, based out of Hong Kong, helps generate vast turnover.
"The Middle East has become a hub for racing in the winter months with Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Dubai, Qatar, and Saudi all running million-dollar feature races and carnivals. The Saudi Cup in February is, at $20 million, the world's richest race and gets runners from all over the globe."
Citing Dubai, Breeders' Cup, Royal Ascot, and increased European presence in New York's rich grass races, Beaumont added, "There is continual international growth and many European countries are actively trying to get international runners through promotion and travel incentives. Morocco, Turkey, and Hungary are recent additions to the international program—all with races specifically targeting foreign raiders.
"It's very exciting times in the global world of horse racing and it's vital that racetracks keep trying to encourage runners to ship over to retain their prestige."
Some Global Outreach Schemes
Baseball legend Satchel Paige famously said, "Don't look back. Something might be gaining on you." With an ever-growing roster of big racing days and weekends, from Hong Kong to Saudi Arabia, tracks are coming up with ever-more-inventive attractions to do just that.
Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum likely never heard of Satchel, busy as he is with his racing empire and his day job as ruler of Dubai, but he and his associates are living by that motto.
Within just a few days in July, the Dubai Racing Club announced three new global outreach programs, targeting the Fasig-Tipton sales platforms, the iconic races at York Racecourse in England, and participation in a nascent racing league in the United States. While the Horse Racing League remains a work in progress, the other initiatives are solidly in place and well targeted.
Ali Al Ali, CEO of the Dubai Racing Club, left no doubt the ultimate goal is to keep abreast of competition for equine stars.
"As international participation continues to grow, our focus remains on creating meaningful opportunities that strengthen Dubai's position as a destination where the world's best horses, owners, and trainers come together to compete," Al Ali said.
Although the flurry of activity from the United Arab Emirates was noteworthy, it was far from the only action in development of new lures to catch international equine stars.
Details are yet to be announced but, at some point late this year, the Hong Kong Jockey Club soon will unveil plans to kick off regular racing at its spectacular $1 billion Conghua Racecourse on the Chinese mainland. The event will be a landmark for many reasons but in this context, it should be a huge draw for international stars and complement Hong Kong's two existing international race days. Stay tuned.
The Prospects for Breeders' Cup
So, with all of that and more going on, what's in prospect for the scheduling of some of those international stars, especially for Breeders' Cup Oct. 30-31 at Keeneland? It's too early for definitive forecast, but it's never too early to hope for the best—even the best of the best.
Two of England's biggest summer events, themselves designed to attract the best of the best, also were on the target list for the World Championships, starting with the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (G1) July 25 at Ascot Racecourse. Ascot promoted the race worldwide, upped the purse to a record £1.5 million, and was rewarded with a world-class field featuring a rematch of November's Japan Cup (G1T), in which French runner Calandagan narrowly defeated local star Masquerade Ball. Breeders' Cup offered the winner a spot in the Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T).
The King George didn't play out quite as expected as Masquerade Ball didn't fire and Kalpana, second last year, defeated a gallant Calandagan. Kalpana finished seventh in the 2025 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and Paris seems a more likely spot for her in October than Lexington. Maybe Calandagan?
Nemone Routh, racing manager for Calandagan's owner, the Aga Khan's Studs, was asked during preparations for the Japan Cup about a potential North American effort and told BloodHorse, "If so, it would certainly be for the Breeders' Cup Turf."
There was in that reply a hint of a genteel, polite, "No." And, after Calandagan returned a gallant second in the King George, trainer Francis-Henri Graffard admitted a return to Japan in November "would be a dream."
All may not be lost. The World Championships' all-time leading trainer, Aidan O'Brien, admired the third-place performance in the King George of Irish Derby (G1) winner Benvenuto Cellini sufficiently to foresee a Kentucky appearance for him.
"He ran a great race as a 3-year-old taking on the older horses and we learned a lot about him," said O'Brien, who already owns seven Breeders' Cup Turf trophies among his 21 overall. "We'll look at the Breeders' Cup with him."
A bigger prize entry may come from the July 29 Sussex Stakes (G1) at Goodwood. The race needed no promotion as Bow Echo entered in defense of an unbeaten record and steady progress toward historic levels of dominance at the mile distance. He won with a stunning stretch move and Breeders' Cup was there, too, offering a "Win and You're In" berth in the Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T), which trainer George Boughey seemed eager to accept.
"I think the plan was always to go to France for either the Marois or the Moulin. Fundamentally, we would like the horse to end up at the Breeders' Cup at the end of the year. I think a mile round a bend there, with a strong pace, will suit him very well," the trainer said.
The Aug. 16 Prix Jacques Le Marois (G1) already has a strong entries list, including four from Japan. The Sept. 6 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp (G1) is part of Arc Trials weekend.
O'Brien also trains the runner-up in the Sussex, Gstaad, who won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T) last year. And the third-place finisher, Opera Ballo, is handled by Charlie Appleby for Godolphin, regular participants.
One who definitely won't be coming to Keeneland is Rebel's Romance, the Godolphin superstar who owns two Breeders' Cup Turf trophies among his 22 wins around the world. He has been retired.
That leaves a huge field stars for Breeders' Cup to pursue. That pursuit is well underway and the international Challenge program is doing its job.
Case in point: Rebecca Menzies' unbeaten 2-year-old Adonius was entered in the July 29 Molecomb Stakes (G3) at Goodwood Racecourse specifically in search of a ticket to the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1T). Menzies has dreamed of the race all year and got a boost when American investors took a half share in the Soldier's Call gelding.
The Annie Oakley for that race could seal the deal, she said as she prepared the colt.
"The Win and You're in initiative is massive. ... Any help getting to the Breeders' Cup would be a huge bonus," Menzies said.
Adonius finished second as Pershaada got the win and the bid. There doubtless is room for both in the starting gate.
Odds and Ends
The British government has agreed to permit direct import of horses from South Africa to Great Britain. The decision puts an exclamation point on a long campaign waged by the South African officials to lift quarantine restrictions that had virtually trapped horses in the country, barring prohibitive, monthslong periods of isolation.
The announcement follows closely on South Africa's opening of imports from Dubai, New Zealand, and Australia earlier this year, making genuine two-way trade a reality for the South African equine industry. The Hong Kong Jockey Club, which stands to be a major market for South African horses, supported the efforts to lift the quarantine protocols.
And speaking of Hong Kong, the HKJC sold 16 horses to its members at the annual international sale July 13, culmination of the annual program of purchasing top-quality, targeted young horses to continue the success of the local racing product.
While several top-level horses have come to Hong Kong through the program, the poster child is Romantic Warrior.
And speaking of Romantic Warrior: Faced with the impossible choice of choosing between him and the world's top-rated horse, Ka Ying Rising, as champion horse of the recently concluded 2025-26 season, the voters named them co-champions.
Good call.
