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〜全８３頭〜

By Our Racing Correspondent

Les Benton and Ghaith Al Ghaith at the press meet

Dubai - Cat Thief, Might And Power and Aljabr head a formidable list of champion thoroughbreds that will stake their claim to win racing's greatest ever prize in the new millennium, the $6 million Dubai World Cup, sponsored by Emirates.

 The deadline for first entries for five of the seven races on the programme for the March 25, 2000 racing extravaganza, closed on Wednesday, amid unprecedented international interest.

 The races accepting first entries were the Group 1 Dubai World Cup, the $2 million Group 3 Dubai Duty Free, the $2 million Group 3 Dubai Sheema Classic, the Listed $1 million Golden Shaheen and the $500,000 UAE Derby - the main events in a record-breaking $12 million seven-race card.

 The number of entries this year for the mile and a quarter Dubai World Cup has risen by 25 per cent to 83. Announcing the entries at a press conference here yesterday, Dubai World Cup Committee Chairman Les Benton said, "We are extremely pleased with the class of the entries and we are confident that it will get even stronger with the final deadline in February 2000.

 "With the Japan Cup and international race in Hong Kong to be run in the next few weeks, we expect a few more horses to emerge from them that will we will also target," added Benton, who intends to further enhance the World Cup profile.

 "The Dubai World Cup will be a truly world championship day of racing and the strength of the early nominations completely justifies the decision to raise the prize money and alter some of the conditions for the supporting races."

 The increase in nominations and the class of entries is a result of an extensive global marketing and recruitment drive undertaken by the Dubai World Cup Committee over the last six months to ensure the Dubai World Cup programme and the UAE receives worldwide coverage and attention, befitting an event of this stature.

 Of the 81 entries received for the race won last year by Almutawakel, and in previous years by Cigar, Singspeil and Silver Charm, 28 of those are Group 1 winners who have between them won 60 Group 1 races. Further study of statistics reveal that there are 13 individual Classic winners of 18 Classic races, underlining the race's worldwide appeal.

 There are classic winners from the U.S., Ireland, Hong Kong, Chile, Argentina, South Africa and Hong Kong. There are winners of Derbies in Santa Anita, Australia, Hong Kong and South Africa, Guinease winners from Australia and an Oaks winner from Argentina.

 Breeders' Cup Classic winner Cath Thief heads 26 entries from the USA, which also includes Breeders' Cup Sprint winner Artax, and the Richard Mandela-trained Malek, who will have a third shot at winning the Dubai World Cup. Malek was fourth to Silver Charm in T98 and second to Almutawakel last year.

 Bob Baffert, who saddled Silver Charm to victory at Nad Al Sheba, has nominated seven horses while Bill Mott, who won the inaugural World Cup with Cigar, has entered two horses including Royal Anthem.

 Champion Irish trainer Aidan O'Brien takes his first swipe at the Cup by entering Irish 2,000 Guineas winner Saffron Walden, while compatriot Dermot Weld has nominated Make No Mistake.

 Philip Mitchell is likely to return with last year's hope Running Stag, while other notable English nominations include Fantastic Light and Lear Spear. Australia are represented by two-time Horse of the Year winner Might And Power and Caulfield and Melbourne Cup winners Sky Heights and Rogan Josh, while South Africa's champion Horse Chestnut is likely contender.

 Asia has a strong representation, with Housemaster, fourth in the English 2,000 Guineas and Indigenous, Hong Kong's first ever runner in the King George VIth and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes, also entered.

 A strong UAE team is led by Godolphin's Aljabr and Dubai Millennium, who has been named with the Dubai World Cup in mind. They are joined by Xaar, Slicky and Kentucky Derby runner Worldly Manner.

 Other UAE entries were received for last year's Maktoum Challenge champion Spindrift and the promising Fire Thunder. Saudi Arabia is also represented by the American-bred Florida's Son. The second entry stage for the World Cup and main supporting races closes on February 2 with a further supplementary stage closing on March 19.