Dubai World Cup Carnival to feature Super Saturday

The Emirates Racing Authority has announced its fixture schedule for 2011-12,

which includes a few notable tweaks to the Dubai Carnival at Meydan Racecourse.

The Dubai International Racing Carnival, first held in 2004, has been renamed

and will now serve as the Dubai World Cup Carnival (DWC Carnival), a change that

will further align the prestigious racing to the famed Dubai World Cup (UAE-G1).

Although offering a new name, this will mark the ninth season for the

carnival that will begin on January 5, 2012. A total of 10 meetings will be held

during the Dubai World Cup Carnival with an afternoon post time on two Friday

dates, January 20 and February 3.

The start of the DWC Carnival will be teamed in the coming season with the

third Meydan Masters Jockey Challenge series. The competition will be held two

days, January 5-6, and will feature challenge races each day.   

This season will also see Super Thursday moved to the weekend and now serve

as Super Saturday. The event will be scheduled on March 10 with an afternoon

post time and will conclude the Dubai World Cup Carnival season. Super Saturday

is a significant showcase and major prep event for the highly anticipated Dubai

World Cup that will be held three weeks later.

The 17th running of the Dubai World Cup program is set for Saturday, March 31,

the closing day of the Emirates' racing season. Worth a total of $26.25 million, this

eight-race card begins with an Arabian race, the Dubai Kahayla Classic, and

concludes with the $10 million Dubai World Cup, the world's richest Thoroughbred

race.

The entire 2011-12 racing season in the United Arab Emirates will comprise 53

racing days, an increase of three from the 50 fixtures scheduled last year. Sharjah

Equestrian and Racing Club will host two additional fixtures, and Meydan will

add one more racedate. Over the past two seasons U.A.E. racing has added a total of seven

fixtures. Last year four fixtures were added to increase the total number from

46 in 2009-10 to 50 for the 2010-11 season.

The Emirates' racing season will once again begin at Jebel Ali Racecourse as the opening

meeting is November 4, with 11 fixtures to be offered. The Jebel Ali season will

conclude on March 23, 2012.

The Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club will begin its season

on November 6 and close on March 18, 2012, with a total of 15 scheduled

fixtures.

Meydan will open for its third season on November 10, with a total

of five fixtures to be offered during November and December. Special afternoon

post times will be scheduled for November 25 and December 23, and December 31

will also feature an afternoon start. In addition, Meydan will  hold five

non-Carnival race fixtures through January, February and March.

Sharjah will feature six fixtures with the

opening scheduled for November 26, and the end of the season is scheduled for

February 18, 2012.

His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister of the

United Arab Emirates, Minister of Presidential Affairs and Chairman of the

Emirates Racing Authority, has approved the fixtures list for the 2011-12 racing

seasons.

For more information on the 2011-12 race fixtures, please visit

www.emiratesracing.com.