With top Hong Kong contenders Cape of Good Hope and Silent Witness in Japan for this weekend's Sprinters Stakes at Nakayama, Champion Australian mare Alinghi set for the G1 Shadwell Mile at Keeneland (Kentucky) on October 8, plus the Arc, Breeders' Cup Turf, Japan Cup and Melbourne's Spring Carnival all on the horizon - it's sometimes easy to lose sight of the fact that all too soon a season starts afresh in yet another distant country. A date fast approaching, but well worth diarising however, is December 1 when Dubai will again be welcoming horses for the 2006 Dubai International Racing Carnival, which climaxes with the Dubai World Cup meeting, the world's richest.

As an extension of their passion for international competition, Sheikh Mohammed developed the idea of the Dubai International Racing Carnival - 10 weeks of racing -that allows owners, trainers and jockeys from around the world to come to Dubai to compete.

The first race of the Dubai International Racing Carnival ("DIRC") commences on January 19 2006 and concludes on March 25 when three of the world's richest races will take place.

The 2006 brochure arrived late last week and is its usual polished product. In terms of the generous incentives to owners and trainers it reminds me of one of those high-end showbags at the Royal Easter Show Pavillion (or these days, expensive yearlings at all number of premier sales) - you know the ones - you spent hours standing around dreaming of owning them only to find that they were always slightly out of your price bracket.

Martin Talty, Manager of the International Department at the DRC disagrees. "[The Carnival] allows all to participate, not just those lucky enough to have a Group One horse. The Dubai International Racing Carnival is achievable to all those who want to race their horse internationally and with the generous incentives the Maktoum Family provide, it makes it a realistic goal for everyone, proven by the 170 horses that arrived for last year's carnival from 21 different countries.

"Winners came from England, Ireland, France, South Africa, Brazil, Macau, Singapore, Norway, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Australia and the United States so the proof is there that international success is now within the grasp of everyone."

The lead-in Carnival provides an opportunity for horses to gain valuable international experience - and, as some have ably demonstrated, propel their careers to new heights.

"Without the Dubai International racing Carnival would a horse like Collier Hill have traveled outside the UK?" asks Talty. "He came here in 2005, won a race worth US$120,000, finished third in the Dubai Sheema Classic, then went on to win the Irish St Leger".

In 2006 the number of turf races has increased to 36 (outnumbering the dirt races - 30) and prize money has (yet again) escalated. The 11 race meetings that constitute the Carnival will offer prize-money of US$30 million. The Group 1 Dubai Duty Free (which Australia's Elvstroem won in 2005) as well as the Dubai Sheema Classic will both carry prize money of US$5million in 2006; the Flag Ship event - the Dubai World Cup - carrying US$6million.



Dubai International Racing Carnival website at following URL.

(Note: images from DRC brochure - Elvstroem pictured [top] and Lim's Classic, the first Singapore representative to win in Dubai [below]).