Saturday, the Dubai World Cup Sponsored by Emirates Airline will be held for the 30^th time. A true international showcase, the World Cup was a smashing success right off of the bat when it was first held in 1996, and for much of its history the race has carried the highest purse in Thoroughbred racing. Currently, its $12 million total award ranks second to the $20 million Saudi Cup.

Rising conflict in the Middle East this month, primarily through missile strikes, has threatened many events in Dubai and nearby nations, but the Dubai Racing Carnival is scheduled to be held at Meydan Racecourse, which replaced Nad Al Sheba in 2010 as Dubai’s glittering jewel of a racetrack.

This year’s World Cup field includes one horse in Forever Young who finished third in last year’s running and, if he wins Saturday, will arguably join the list below of all-time great Thoroughbreds of the late 20^th and early 21^st centuries who traveled to the desert and captured one of the sport’s biggest prizes.

For now, let’s look back on the best Dubai World Cup winners over its history:

5. Invasor (2007)

Underrated to this day, Invasor won 11 of 12 total races in his career with his only misstep coming when fourth the 2006 United Arab Emirates Derby, his first trip to Nad al Sheba. After that race, the Argentina-bred did not return to South America after having dominated the opposition in five starts in Uruguay, instead shipping to the U.S. where he won five in a row through the rest of 2006 and into 2007, including the Whitney Handicap at Saratoga and the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Churchill Downs. In his final career start, the Kiaran McLaughlin trainee returned to Dubai and won the 2007 World Cup by 1 ¾ lengths over Premium Tap, finishing 2,000 meters (about 1 ¼ miles) in a swift 1:59.97. He entered the U.S. Racing Hall of Fame in 2013.

4. Arrogate (2017)

The late, great Arrogate had several unforgettable performances on the track, and his Dubai World Cup win in 2017 ranks alongside his 2016 Travers Stakes tour de force as his very best. Riding a six-race winning streak that along with the Travers included the 2006 Breeders’ Cup Classic and inaugural 2007 Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes, Arrogate shipped to Dubai where he was the favorite in international pari-mutuel pools against a field that included Gun Runner. Arrogate broke last out of the starting gate and seemed to be up against it for the first half-mile or so. Then, he unleashed a breathtaking rally to pick off horses and surge into the lead entering Meydan’s homestretch. He coasted to a 2 ¼-length victory over Gun Runner, leading trainer Bob Baffert to tell BloodHorse, “If anybody wasn't super impressed with that, they just don't like horse racing. I still can't believe he won the race.” Surprisingly, the World Cup was Arrogate’s last win as the 2023 Hall of Fame inductee lost his final three starts and tragically died soon after beginning his stud career.

3. California Chrome (2016)

It’s easy to forget, but California Chrome actually finished second in his Dubai World Cup debut, which occurred in 2015. He had thrilled North American racing fans the year before by winning the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes and becoming arguably the best “little-guy” racehorse of this century. The prize of Art Sherman’s barn was an odds-on favorite in the 2015 World Cup but could only muster second behind local horse Prince Bishop, and that turned out to be his last race of the year as he spent months recovering from a bone bruise. In January 2016, “Chromie” returned with a dominant stakes win at Santa Anita Park and then was sent to Dubai, where he romped in a handicap race as his final prep for the World Cup. Once back in the spotlight, he was sensational – rolling to a 3 ¾-length Dubai World Cup victory – and that would be followed by four more wins in five starts to close out the year. Despite finishing second to Arrogate in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, California Chrome was voted 2016 Horse of the Year. He entered the Hall of Fame alongside his rival in 2023.

2. Curlin (2008)

Few racehorses this century were better equipped for the mile-and-a-quarter assignment than Curlin. He won five of seven starts at that distance, with his only blemishes coming in the 2007 Kentucky Derby early in his career and in his final start, the 2008 Breeders’ Cup Classic held on an all-weather track. From fall 2007 to spring 2008, the massive chestnut trained by Steve Asmussen reeled off four wins in a row at the “classic” distance, and his last was the best of them all as Curlin demolished his opponents by 7 ¾ lengths in the 2008 Dubai World Cup at Nad al Sheba. Horse of the Year in both 2007 and 2008, Curlin has gone on to become an elite sire, renowned for passing on his stamina, and a slam-dunk Hall of Fame inductee in 2014.

1. Cigar (1996)

He was the reigning Horse of the Year heading into the inaugural 1996 Dubai World Cup, riding a 13-race winning streak. But after a dominant two-length score in the Donn Handicap to kick off his 6-year-old season, Cigar suffered a foot bruise, putting owner Allen Paulson’s and trainer Bill Mott’s seasonal goals in jeopardy. Cigar missed nearly two weeks of training but recovered in time to ship overseas for the then-$4 million Dubai World Cup, a race in which he faced a stellar international field that included two horses he had defeated in the 2005 Breeders’ Cup Classic – runner-up L’Carriere and fourth-place Soul of the Matter. It was the latter rival who gave Cigar all he could handle in the World Cup, engaging him in a knock-down, drag-out stretch battle. Cigar and regular jockey Jerry Bailey were up to the task, turning back Soul of the Matter and winning by a courageous half-length (read Keeler Johnson’s look-back on the race). Cigar would win two more starts after returning to the U.S. before a shocking defeat in the Pacific Classic, and later that fall he finished up his career with a third (by a head) in one of the best editions of the Breeders’ Cup Classic in history. The 2002 Hall of Fame inductee became a popular and beloved attraction at the Kentucky Horse Park for many years before his death in 2014.