Dubai Racing Club Unveils Its 2026- 27 Season Vision
Charpy On A New Chapter At Meydan
Dubai Racing Club (DRC) has confirmed 17 meetings for the 2026–27 Dubai Racing Carnival, building towards the 31st running of the Gr.1 Dubai World Cup in late March 2027, with the organisation citing record international participation as the defining feature of its next season.
Under chairman HH Sheikh Rashid bin Dalmook Al Maktoum and chief executive Ali Al Ali, DRC has entered what both men describe as a new phase of growth for Meydan Racecourse, one that builds on recent editions of the Dubai Racing Carnival and the Dubai World Cup while pushing further into international partnerships and fan experience. “Our ambition is to continue elevating the Dubai World Cup and the Dubai Racing Carnival, ensuring excellence year-round,” Al Ali said in an interview earlier this year. “We have seen tremendous growth in both visitor attendance and international competitors, and we aim to build on that.”
Helping deliver that vision day-to-day is Erwan Charpy, head of racing operations and international relations, whose three decades in Dubai racing give the Frenchman a rare vantage point on how sport has evolved and where the club wants to take it next.
Charpy arrived in Dubai in autumn 1994, two years into the life of organised racing in the emirate, having previously ridden in pony races and trained under his own name in Chantilly. Over the following three decades, the Frenchman trained 511 winners, including 11 at Group One level, and was crowned champion trainer in 2001, before moving into his current executive role in 2022.
A Complete Experience From Arrival To The Final Race
Elite competition still sits at the heart of every Carnival fixture, but DRC has spent recent seasons widening what a race day at Meydan actually offers. “Racing will always be the foundation of what we do,” the head of racing operations says, “but today’s racegoers expect much more than simply watching horses compete. Every meeting is designed to deliver a complete experience, from world-class racing and hospitality to fashion, entertainment and family experiences. We aim to make racing more accessible while maintaining the highest sporting standards.”
That philosophy, DRC says, has helped drive audience growth in recent seasons while reinforcing Meydan’s standing as one of Dubai’s premier sporting and lifestyle destinations, a role the organisation is keen to protect as competition among global tracks intensifies.
New Pathways Widen The Field For International Owners
International participation sits at the centre of DRC’s long-term strategy. Last season alone, the Dubai Racing Carnival welcomed 47 international trainers from 10 racing jurisdictions, with more than 130 overseas-trained horses competing at Meydan, the highest level of international participation in the Carnival’s history.
For the DRC executive, those figures represent more than a headline statistic. “The international confidence in the Dubai Racing Carnival continues to grow every year,” he says. “Owners and trainers recognise the quality of the racing programme, the facilities at Meydan and the opportunities the Carnival provides ahead of Dubai World Cup night.”
DRC has worked to deepen those opportunities through partnerships with racing organisations overseas, creating new routes for horses to reach Meydan while sharpening the Carnival’s overall competitiveness. The club’s alliance with Churchill Downs has already established the Gr.2 UAE Derby as an official qualifier towards the Gr.1 Kentucky Derby, and Charpy hopes it will eventually help produce a Kentucky Derby winner who began his career at Meydan, though he stops short of calling it anything more than an ambition. Newer collaborations with York Racecourse and Fasig-Tipton extend that network further. “These partnerships are about creating meaningful opportunities for owners and trainers while strengthening international competition at Meydan,” Charpy explains. “Ultimately, they help ensure we continue attracting the very best horses from around the world.”
From Equinox To Calandagan, Champions Light Up Meydan
The Dubai World Cup remains the season’s pinnacle. Meydan’s 2027 card carries total prize money of AED112 million (US$30.5 million), including the AED 44 million (US$12 million) on offer for the Dubai World Cup itself, figures DRC points to as evidence of the calibre of horse it continues to attract from the United States, Japan and beyond.
The supporting card has grown alongside it. The Gr.1 Dubai Sheema Classic and Gr.1 Dubai Turf are now firmly established among the world’s premier turf races, while the Gr.2 Dubai Gold Cup has developed into one of the leading international staying contests. Japan’s Equinox produced what many inside the club regard as one of the finest performances ever seen at Meydan when he won the Dubai Sheema Classic, and Hong Kong’s Romantic Warrior underlined the Carnival’s global reach with victory during a subsequent Dubai Racing Carnival meeting. More recently, Calandagan added another chapter to that story with victory in this year’s renewal of the Dubai Sheema Classic.
DRC has also expanded opportunities for Purebred Arabians, a discipline the club says deserves the same international recognition as its Thoroughbred programme. The former trainer’s own connection to the breed runs deep: his highest-profile Arabian-racing success as a trainer came when Manark won the Gr.1 Dubai Kahayla Classic (PA) in 2015, the Arabian equivalent of the Dubai World Cup itself. “Purebred Arabian racing deserves the same international recognition as our Thoroughbred programme,” the executive says. “We will continue developing the programme while showcasing the exceptional quality of these horses on one of the world’s biggest racing stages.”
Thirty Years Since Nad Al Sheba Was In Its Infancy
Three decades in the emirate have left the head of racing operations with one enduring lesson. “One thing you learn very quickly about Dubai is never to be surprised by what can be achieved,” he says. “The city has always been driven by ambition, vision and a willingness to think beyond what others consider possible.”
Few at the club have watched that transformation as closely as the Meydan-based executive. “When I first arrived, Nad Al Sheba was still in its infancy,” Charpy recalls. “Even then, there was a clear ambition to create something that could stand alongside the world’s greatest racing destinations.”
That ambition, the veteran horseman says, has since become reality. “Meydan wasn’t built overnight; it has evolved alongside Dubai itself. What impresses me most is not simply the scale of the venue, but how Dubai has established itself as one of the true centres of international racing. Thirty years ago, few could have imagined the depth of global participation we now enjoy, with the world’s leading owners, trainers and jockeys making Dubai an essential stop on the international racing calendar.”
That growth traces back to DRC’s founding under HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, whose own ambition for Meydan set the template the club still follows. Reflecting on that legacy, the Frenchman singles out Sheikh Mohammed’s influence on the sport far beyond Dubai’s own borders. “I have had the privilege of witnessing first-hand the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and the extraordinary legacy he has created for international racing,” he says. “His passion for the Thoroughbred has transformed not only racing in Dubai, but the sport around the world.”
The Next Generation Of Champions Is Already Coming
With The Dubai World Cup’s Landmark 30th Edition now behind it, DRC’s focus has turned to the next decade. “Our ambition is to continue strengthening Dubai’s position as one of the world’s leading racing destinations by improving the quality of competition, expanding international participation and delivering an exceptional experience for owners, trainers, jockeys and racegoers alike,” Charpy says. “Racing is constantly evolving, and so are we. Our responsibility is not simply to preserve what has already been achieved, but to continue raising the standard for international racing.”
For the club, that means continuing to invest not only in the racing itself but in innovation, international collaboration and fan engagement, keeping Meydan a destination where the world’s best horses, people and racing nations come together each season. Champions such as Dubai Millennium, Equinox, Romantic Warrior, Forever Young and Calandagan have each added a chapter to that story, and Charpy believes the next is already taking shape somewhere on the calendar. “The beauty of this sport is that every season brings a new generation of champions,” he reflects. “You never know where the next superstar will emerge from, but we certainly hope their journey will include Meydan.”