Nearly $40M in prize money will be on offer when the 2013 Dubai World Cup Carnival begins on Jan. 10, according to Leslie Wilson Jr. of the GULF NEWS. The Emirates Racing Authority announced the event will "culminate with the Dubai World Cup meeting on March 30." This is the fourth year that the Carnival will be held at the Meydan racecourse since it launched in '04. The event consists of "11 high-quality race meetings featuring 27 Group and Listed races." Total prize money of $37.4M "will be up for grabs as some of the best equine stars from around the world descend on Dubai" to contest seven Group 1 contests, 10 Group 2 events, seven Group 3 races and three Listed events in the Carnival. The UAE flat racing season will kick off at Meydan on Nov. 8 with 20 race fixtures scheduled to be held over the course of five months. Dates for the Carnival are: Jan. 10, Jan. 17, Jan. 24, Jan. 31, Feb. 7, Feb. 14, Feb. 21, Feb. 28, March 2, March 9, with the Dubai World Cup on March 30. The World Cup card, "the world's richest day of racing," offers a combined purse of more than $27M for the nine races, including the $10M Dubai World Cup (G1) (GULF NEWS, 10/9).
