Dubai Racing Club has added another important European link to its international racing calendar, with the Great Voltigeur Stakes winner at York set to receive automatic entry into the Dubai City of Gold at Meydan in 2027.
The Dubai Racing Club York partnership gives the Great Voltigeur winner a clear route to Meydan.
The agreement, announced with York Racecourse, strengthens a pathway that already has sporting logic behind it. The Great Voltigeur Stakes has long been one of Britain’s most respected races for three-year-old middle-distance horses, while the Dubai City of Gold has grown into an important Meydan contest for horses being aimed at Dubai World Cup night.
Under the new arrangement, the winner of the Group 2 Great Voltigeur Stakes, staged during York’s Ebor Festival, will receive automatic entry into the Group 2 Dubai City of Gold on Super Saturday at Meydan Racecourse on February 27, 2027. Dubai Racing Club will also provide international shipping freight for the winning horse.
First run in 1950, the Great Voltigeur has built its reputation as a serious test for emerging middle-distance talent. Its roll of honour has featured horses who went on to shape major races well beyond York, making it a natural source of contenders for international targets later in their careers.
The Dubai City of Gold, in turn, has become one of the key races on the Meydan programme. It sits as a recognised trial for the Dubai Sheema Classic, one of the major races on Dubai World Cup night, and has regularly attracted horses with proven staying power and international quality.
The connection between York and Meydan is not new. Postponed completed the Great Voltigeur–Dubai City of Gold double in 2016, while Old Persian achieved the same feat in 2019. Both horses later carried that form onto the wider international stage, giving the new initiative a strong historical reference point.
Last season’s Dubai City of Gold was won by Rebel’s Romance, the multiple Group 1 winner whose record across different racing jurisdictions has made him one of the most accomplished international performers of recent years. His victory underlined the standard of horse the Meydan race can attract.
His Excellency Ali Al Ali, CEO and Board Member of Dubai Racing Club, said the agreement reflected the continued growth of Dubai’s racing programme and its aim of bringing leading horses from around the world to Meydan.
“The Dubai Racing Carnival continues to strengthen its position as a truly international racing programme, and partnerships such as this create meaningful opportunities for the world’s best horses to compete on the global stage,” he said.
He added that York’s status in British racing and the record of the Great Voltigeur made the link particularly valuable. By creating a direct pathway from York to Meydan, Dubai Racing Club is offering connections another route into international competition while adding further depth to the Dubai City of Gold.
William Derby, Chief Executive and Clerk of the Course at York Racecourse, also welcomed the initiative, describing the Great Voltigeur as one of Europe’s leading trials for middle-distance horses. He said the arrangement would give winning connections a valuable opportunity to extend their campaign to Meydan.
The Dubai Racing Club York partnership forms part of a wider effort to build stronger international racing connections and attract high-class horses to the Dubai Racing Carnival and Dubai World Cup night.
As this is a partnership announcement rather than a race result, there is no finish order to report. The significance lies in the new route now available to the Great Voltigeur winner, linking one of York’s most important races with one of Meydan’s established middle-distance contests.
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