How Sheikh Mohammed created Dubai World Cup 2026, 'home team' known in global horse races

Long before Dubai became synonymous with towering skyscrapers, luxury hotels, malls, and world-class sporting spectacles, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, discovered a passion that would shape his life: the world of horse racing.

His first visit to a race meeting in the United Kingdom left an indelible mark. In May 1967, he and his brother, Sheikh Hamdan, watched Royal Palace win the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket in the UK, a moment that left a lasting impression and helped spark his lifelong passion for thoroughbred racing.

His first success as a racehorse owner came a decade later. On 20 June 1977, his filly Hatta gave him his first victory at Brighton Racecourse before she went on to win the Group 3 Molecomb Stakes at Goodwood Racecourse the following month, establishing his serious commitment to international racing.

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These early experiences in the UK played a key role in shaping his vision for global racing and led to the creation of the Godolphin Stable in 1992 and the Dubai World Cup in 1996.

That early exposure ignited Sheikh Mohammed’s ambition to see Dubai host a race meeting that would attract the sport’s greatest. He envisioned a race that would draw the finest horses, jockeys, and trainers from around the globe.

A world thoroughbred championship that could measure itself against iconic races like the Epsom Derby, first run in 1780; the Kentucky Derby, which began in 1875; the century-old Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe; and the Melbourne Cup, which began in 1861. From that vision, the Dubai World Cup was born, an elite horse race designed to elevate the emirate from desert outpost to international sporting capital.

But Sheikh Mohammed’s commitment went far beyond building a race. It became a personal mission to breed, train, and campaign champions at the highest level. In a move that reflected both humility and ambition, he sacrificed racing under his own name and racing colours, creating Team Godolphin, a stable representing Dubai and carrying the royal blue silks that would become instantly recognisable on racetracks across four continents.

“As Dubai’s ‘home team’, Team Godolphin works hard to reflect the pioneering spirit of Dubai, constantly looking forward, relentlessly innovating, in everything we do,” Sheikh Mohammed proclaims on the stable’s website.

The creation of the Dubai World Cup and Godolphin has been more than a sporting venture; it has been a catalyst for Dubai’s global sporting identity. Like the Dubai Desert Classic, the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, the Dubai Rugby Sevens, and the World Powerboat Championship, the Dubai World Cup has placed the emirate on the map for elite sport.

As the Dubai World Cup celebrates its 30th anniversary, the legacy is clear. What began as one man’s passion for horse racing has helped Dubai grow into a global sporting institution.