Dubai World Cup 2027: Date, UK Time, Races and Past Winners
By the MyHorseBets team · Updated · 7 min read
The Dubai World Cup 2027 is expected on Saturday 27 March 2027 at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai. The Dubai World Cup is a 2,000 metre Group 1 race on dirt worth US$12 million, run as the final race of Dubai World Cup night on the last Saturday in March, which in 2027 falls on the 27th. It is one of the richest races in the world, and the night around it is a full international card of Group races on turf and dirt.
This guide covers the date and UK time, how the race works, the World Cup night card, recent winners and records, the British and Irish angle, and how betting on the Dubai World Cup works from the UK. We don’t publish tips.
When Is the Dubai World Cup 2027?
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Date | Saturday 27 March 2027 (expected: last Saturday in March) |
| Course | Meydan Racecourse, Dubai, UAE |
| Distance | 2,000m (about 10 furlongs), dirt, left-handed |
| Grade | Group 1 |
| Prize money | US$12 million |
| Runs on | Dubai World Cup night, as the final race |
| 2026 winner | Magnitude |
Dubai World Cup Time in the UK
Dubai is on Gulf Standard Time, four hours ahead of GMT, and doesn’t change its clocks. On 27 March 2027 the UK is still on GMT, because British clocks go forward the next day, Sunday 28 March. So Dubai is four hours ahead of the UK on World Cup night: an evening race in Dubai is an afternoon or early evening race in London. Meydan publishes the race times nearer the meeting.
How the Date Is Set
The Dubai World Cup article on Wikipedia gives the race’s date as the last Saturday in March. The 2026 running, the 30th, was on Saturday 28 March. We’ll confirm the 2027 date here when the Dubai Racing Club publishes its race card.
How the Dubai World Cup Works
Who Can Run and What They Carry
Wikipedia gives the conditions: Northern Hemisphere horses aged four and up and Southern Hemisphere horses aged three and up. Southern Hemisphere three-year-olds carry 54.5kg and everyone else 57kg, so the race is close to level weights. It is not a handicap.
From Nad Al Sheba to Meydan, Dirt to Tapeta and Back
The race was first run in 1996 at Nad Al Sheba, and its first winner was Cigar. It moved to Meydan in 2010, where it was run on Tapeta, an all-weather surface, before returning to dirt in 2015, according to Wikipedia, because of maintenance costs and its unpopularity with American runners. The 2020 running was cancelled because of Covid-19.
Why American Horses Do So Well
Because the race is on dirt, it suits American-trained horses, which race on dirt at home. Of the ten runnings from 2016 to 2026, seven were won by American-bred horses, according to the winners list on Wikipedia, and six by trainers based in the United States. Our guide to the Kentucky Derby explains how American dirt racing works.
Dubai World Cup Night: the Full Card
The World Cup is the last race of a night that Gulf News put at US$30.5 million in total prize money in 2026. The supporting races include:
| Race | 2026 prize money | Distance and surface |
|---|---|---|
| Dubai World Cup | $12 million | 2,000m dirt |
| Dubai Sheema Classic | $6 million | 2,410m turf |
| Dubai Turf | $5 million | 1,800m |
| Dubai Golden Shaheen | $2 million | 1,200m dirt |
| UAE Derby, Al Quoz Sprint, Dubai Gold Cup, Godolphin Mile, Dubai Kahayla Classic | $1 million to $1.5 million each | 1,200m to 3,200m, turf and dirt |
Source: Gulf News’s 2026 Dubai World Cup prize money breakdown. The Kahayla Classic is for purebred Arabians.
The Turf Races and European Runners
European horses mostly target the turf races, especially the Sheema Classic over a mile and a half and the Dubai Turf. Gulf News named the England-based Heart of Honor in the 2026 World Cup field and the Irish-trained Ethical Diamond, the 2025 Breeders’ Cup Turf winner, among the expected supporting-race runners. Our Breeders’ Cup guide covers that race.
Dubai World Cup Winners Since 2016
| Year | Winner | Jockey | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Magnitude | Jose L. Ortiz | Steven M. Asmussen |
| 2025 | Hit Show | Florent Geroux | Brad H. Cox |
| 2024 | Laurel River | Tadhg O’Shea | Bhupat Seemar |
| 2023 | Ushba Tesoro | Yuga Kawada | Noboru Takagi |
| 2022 | Country Grammer | Frankie Dettori | Bob Baffert |
| 2021 | Mystic Guide | Luis Saez | Mike Stidham |
| 2020 | Cancelled (Covid-19) | ||
| 2019 | Thunder Snow | Christophe Soumillon | Saeed bin Suroor |
| 2018 | Thunder Snow | Christophe Soumillon | Saeed bin Suroor |
| 2017 | Arrogate | Mike E. Smith | Bob Baffert |
| 2016 | California Chrome | Victor Espinoza | Art Sherman |
Source: the winners list on Wikipedia, checked on 9 October 2026.
Records
- Most wins by a horse: Thunder Snow, twice (2018 and 2019).
- Most wins by a trainer: Saeed bin Suroor, 9.
- Most wins by an owner: Godolphin, 9.
- Most wins by a jockey: Jerry Bailey and Frankie Dettori, 4 each.
- Fastest time: Dubai Millennium, 1:59.50 at Nad Al Sheba in 2000. At Meydan on dirt, Thunder Snow’s 2:01.38 in 2018 is the fastest.
Famous Winners
Cigar won the first running in 1996, Dubai Millennium set the race record in 2000, and Arrogate won in 2017. Saeed bin Suroor’s nine wins and Godolphin’s nine reflect the race’s Dubai roots.
How to Bet on the Dubai World Cup From the UK
UK bookmakers price the World Cup and the main supporting races, usually from the weeks before the meeting. Only bet if you are 18 or over.
American Odds and Fixed Prices
Many of the runners come from the United States, so you’ll see American-style odds in previews (+400, or 4-1). Our odds converter switches between American, fractional and decimal odds. A UK bookmaker’s price is fixed when you bet.
Each Way Terms
The World Cup isn’t a handicap, so standard UK terms, as set out in our guide to each way betting, are three places at 1/5 of the odds with eight or more runners, and two places at 1/4 with five to seven.
Worked example: £5 each way at 6/1 (a £10 stake), three places at 1/5. The place odds are 6/1 x 1/5 = 6/5, or 1.2/1.
| Result | Win half | Place half | Total return | Profit or loss |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wins | £5 x 6 = £30, plus £5 = £35 | £5 x 1.2 = £6, plus £5 = £11 | £46 | £36 profit |
| 2nd or 3rd | Loses | £11 | £11 | £1 profit |
| 4th or worse | Loses | Loses | £0 | £10 loss |
At short prices, the place part barely covers the stake, which is worth knowing before betting each way on a favourite. Check any price in the each way calculator.
Where It Sits in the Season
The World Cup comes eight days after the Cheltenham Festival ends in 2027, and two days before the expected Irish Grand National. Our horse racing calendar has the full list of dates.
International races mean unfamiliar form and late-night or early-morning runs of betting. Set a budget first, bet only what you can afford to lose and never chase losses. Gambling responsibly.
Update Log
- 9 October 2026: Page published. Race conditions, history, records and winners to 2026 from the race’s Wikipedia record; 2026 card and prize money from Gulf News. The 2027 date is expected under the last-Saturday-in-March pattern.
- Next update: when Meydan publishes the 2027 card and race times.
Frequently asked questions
It is a US$12 million Group 1 race over 2,000 metres on dirt at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai, first run in 1996. It is the final race of Dubai World Cup night, a card of international Group races held on the last Saturday in March.
It is expected on Saturday 27 March 2027, because the race is run on the last Saturday in March. Dubai is four hours ahead of the UK that day, since British clocks only go forward on Sunday 28 March. The 2026 race was on 28 March.
Magnitude, ridden by Jose L. Ortiz and trained in the United States by Steven M. Asmussen, according to the race's Wikipedia record. The 2025 winner was Hit Show for Brad H. Cox, and the 2024 winner was Laurel River.
The race itself is worth US$12 million. Across the whole of Dubai World Cup night, prize money totalled US$30.5 million in 2026, according to Gulf News, with the Sheema Classic worth $6 million and the Dubai Turf $5 million.
Dirt. It was run on Tapeta, an all-weather surface, at Meydan from 2010 to 2014, then returned to dirt in 2015. Several of the supporting races on World Cup night, including the Sheema Classic and the Dubai Turf, are run on turf.