Dubai World Cup to be held without spectators at the venue

The 25th edition of the Dubai World Cup, one of the world’s most prestigious horse races, will take place on March 28, 2020, in Dubai without spectators as a measure to curb the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus.

Fans will not miss out on the action altogether though as the event will be televised live. 

A statement on the website of the Dubai Racing Club read: “Due to the ongoing global health implications of the COVID-19/coronavirus and precautionary measures being implemented by the UAE government, Dubai Racing Club will host the Dubai World Cup meeting on March 28 without paid hospitality spectators at Meydan Racecourse.

Read: Coronavirus update: UAE announces 12 new cases, total now at 98

“All supporting Dubai World Cup events, including the Post-Position Draw (Wednesday, March 25), Breakfast with the Stars (Thursday, March 26) and Welcome Reception (Thursday, March 26), have been cancelled. Race day events, including entertainment, have also been cancelled.”

There would be exceptions for a very select few people who would be permitted to enter the venue. The statement added: “Only horse connections, racing officials, accredited media and sponsors will be permitted entry.”

The Dubai World Cup with a total prize money of $35m is the richest race day in the world. The winner of the main race on March 28 stands to win $12.74m.

Read: Godolphin’s Thunder Snow wins $12m Dubai World Cup

In 2019, the Dubai ruling family’s privately-owned stable Godolphin’s Thunder Snow, trained by Saeed bin Suroor and ridden by Christophe Soumillon, won his second consecutive Dubai World Cup at the Meydan Racecourse.

The decision to go ahead with the race without spectators comes at a time that the emirate has made a number of sweeping changes to prevent the spread of the disease which has been termed as a global pandemic by the World Health Organisation.

On March 14, it was announced that all theme parks in Dubai would be closed for the rest of March to help contain the spread of Covid-19 and all entertainment destinations will suspend operations.

All museums, historical sites, public libraries, gyms, cinemas and spring camps have also been closed.

The country’s capital emirate, Abu Dhabi, also announced that major tourist attractions including theme parks and cultural destinations would be closed as a precautionary measure from March 15-31.

On Sunday, March 15, the UAE announced 12 new confirmed coronavirus cases of the virus within the country, taking the total number of cases to 98.