The big guns are back in town - Ron Wood's ten key pointers for the Dubai Racing Carnival

It's carnival time again in Dubai. Well, it actually started in November – as of last year, all Meydan races count towards what's officially known as the Dubai Racing Carnival – but the action is now really picking up.

The first turf races of the season and the first Group contests take place this week, and some of the big names – think Charlie Appleby, William Buick and Christophe Soumillon – are back in town for a fixture called Festive Friday.

There's a dry and warm weather forecast, so expect the dirt and turf tracks to play fast and firm (albeit the grass course is almost always listed as good), and below are ten pointers to help get you up to speed with what has already happened and what is still to come.

Ten carnival pointers

1 There are 16 fixtures and this season's Dubai World Cup is on April 5, as opposed to its usual slot on the last Saturday in March, forming the culmination of a week of Eid Al Fitr celebrations across the UAE.

2 After Festive Friday, the carnival’s second marquee raceday is Fashion Friday on January 24, featuring the Group 1 Al Maktoum Challenge which offers 'bonus scheme' entry to the Dubai World Cup.

3 Meydan will host Super Saturday on March 1, with the Group 2 Al Maktoum Classic, another 'win and you’re in' race, as the feature.

4 Jebel Ali-based Michael Costa leads the overall trainers' standings for number of winners this season – he's 16-77 (21 per cent), which includes runners at other UAE tracks. Musabbeh Al Mheiri is only one behind him from the same number of runners. Look out for the latter's El Nasseeb, an impressive winner on his comeback the other week.

5 Last season's champion trainer Bhupat Seemar has left Zabeel Stables and relocated to Meydan, and he's had 'only' ten winners (from 78 runners). However, he's responsible for the two standout performers so far judged on Racing Post Ratings, Tuz (119) and Imperial Empire (112).

6 Seemar was the trainer with the most Meydan winners last season with 28. Charlie Appleby was next best with 25.

7 A couple of familiar names are setting the pace in the domestic jockeys' standings, with Connor Beasley and Danny Tudhope both on 16 winners (from 125 and 82 rides respectively).

8 Tadhg O'Shea is just a couple of winners behind though, and it'd be unwise to back against him retaining his leading rider status. O'Shea, stable jockey to Seemar, has won the title 12 times and had a Group 1 double on the World Cup card in March.

9 O'Shea was tied for leading rider at Meydan in 2023-24, partnering 21 winners, the same number as William Buick.

10 Saeed bin Suroor will be hoping for better this time around, having gone 0-44 across the last Meydan season.

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