Dubai World Cup latest big event to be cancelled due to coronavirus crisis

The Dubai World Cup meeting at Meydan became the latest high-profile sporting event to fall foul of the coronavirus pandemic on Sunday as the growing health crisis continues to wreak havoc on the global racing calendar.

Organisers had planned to run next Saturday's lucrative meeting behind closed doors but on Sunday went further in announcing it would not go ahead at all, citing the need to safeguard the health of all participants in a move mirroring the loss of next month's Grand National meeting at Aintree.

With a total prize fund in excess of £30 million, the fixture, which plays host to six Group 1s and two Group 2 contests including the Dubai World Cup and Sheema Classic, was set to be aired live on ITV4.

Among the star-studded contenders primed to line up were 2018 Melbourne Cup winner Cross Counter, Japanese superstar Almond Eye, the globe-trotting Benbatl and recent Jebel Hatta winner Barney Roy.

Saeed Al Tayer, chairman of the board of Meydan Group LLC, said: "Due to the ongoing global health implications of the coronavirus and precautionary measures being implement by the UAE government, the organising committee regrets to announce the cancellation of the Dubai World Cup 2020 meeting at Meydan Racecourse on Saturday, March 28."

Benbatl: one of the high-profile runners who was due to run at the meetingCredit: Tom Dulat

A number of British horses are already in Dubai, including the Roger Varian-trained Defoe and Dubai Gold Cup hope Prince Of Arran, who arrived on Friday.

It was announced on Thursday that Aidan O'Brien would not be sending his powerful team out to the meeting due to travel concerns over the virus.

Saeed bin Suroor, a nine-time Dubai World Cup winner and trainer of last year's Dubai Turf hero Benbatl, said: "Obviously this is very disappointing news, but it's the right decision as the safety of all concerned is of great importance.

"These are very difficult times and my thoughts are with everyone, not just the racing community, but everyone living in the UAE and also all those who are under the threat of the coronavirus around the world.

"You can rest assured that our leaders and our government are united in their commitment to deal with the situation positively in order to make our country safe as possible for everyone."

Charlie Fellowes' globe-trotting Prince Of Arran will not get the chance to run in the Dubai World CupCredit: Vince Caligiuri (Getty Images)

David Simcock was set to have two entries on World Cup night, Spanish Mission in the Dubai Gold Cup and Desert Encounter in the Dubai Sheema Classic.

Simcock said: "It would have been a hard decision to make for them to call the meeting off but it's a realistic one in the current climate and we've got to expect these sorts of things to happen.

"My horses were already out there as they've both run at the Carnival, so I suppose the next job will be to get them back but they're in good hands."

Leading owner Hamdan Al Maktoum had three entries that included the Sir Michael Stoute-trained Mustashry, who was being aimed at the Dubai Turf.

The owner's racing manager Angus Gold said: "It's incredibly sad for all the organisers that the meeting is now off but there are more important things than racing right now and the key thing is to keep everybody safe. It's a shame as Mustashry was in such good form before he left."

While the Dubai World Cup meeting and Grand National festival have both been cancelled, the Kentucky Derby has been postponed until September 5. All racing in Britain has been cancelled until the end of April, while French racing will not start again until April 16 at the earliest.

On Sunday the number of coronavirus cases in the UK rose to 5,683, with 281 deaths.

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