Abu Dhabi Gold Cup: 16 will start in inaugural $1 million turf race

Sixteen international runners from Europe, Japan, and the Gulf Cooperation Council declared for the inaugural $1 million Abu Dhabi Gold Cup, taking place at the Abu Dhabi Turf Club on Saturday.

The one-mile turf race will be the highest-value Thoroughbred horserace ever staged in the emirate.

Maljoom will take his place in the lineup as the highest-rated horse coming into the race and will start from stall 15. The 7-year-old finished third in the Group 1 Dubai Turf  last time out and will be looking to make a winning start to his 2026 campaign for new trainer Michael Costa.

Traveling from Great Britain, the Andrew Balding-trained Jonquil will set off from stall 9. The 115-rated miler already has group wins under his belt and is another looking to start his 2026 campaign strongly. Witness Stand, trained by Richard Newland and Jamie Insole, also has Group 1 experience and will line up in stall 4 at the Abu Dhabi Turf Club.

“We’re delighted to be here in Abu Dhabi at this $1 million race, it’s brilliant,” Newland said. “It’s great to be involved, there’s great hospitality and it’s a really exciting opportunity. Our horse has got a bit more to prove than some of the others, but on his day he is very good.”

Quddwah and Aomori City already have shown strong form in 2026, having finished first and second, respectively, in the Zabeel Mile (G2) at Meydan last month. Quddwah, trained by British father-and-son duo Simon and Ed Crisford, will be ridden by Mickael Barzalona and will take his chance from stall 14. Regular jockey William Buick will partner the Charlie Appleby-trained Aomori City once again, lining up in neighboring stall 13. 

“It’s always nice to come into a race like this on the back of a win," Ed Crisford said. “He won very well at Meydan, it was very straightforward, and hopefully it will be more of the same on Saturday. He’s generally a very straightforward horse. If there’s not much pace we can put him forward, and if there’s plenty of pace he can slip around them.”

Crown Board, trained by Jane Chapple-Hyam and Vafortino, trained by Charlie Fellowes, also will travel to Abu Dhabi from Meydan, having started their 2026 campaigns in group company in Dubai. The British pair were drawn in 11 and 7, respectively.

Another to make the short trip from Meydan is Chicago Critic, trained by Irish trainer John Patrick Murtagh. Second by a short head in a Group 2 at the Dubai track last month, the 5-year-old will line up in stall 6. Third in that race was the French-trained Tumbler, who renews the rivalry in the Abu Dhabi Gold Cup. The Kingman gelding, trained by Nicolas Caullery, will be ridden by regular jockey Stephane Pasquier and is well drawn in stall 5.

Donnacha O’Brien’s Comanche Brave is another to represent Ireland, having travelled over to the United Arab Emirates late last week. He will start from stall 12 with Ryan Moore in the saddle. 

“It’s great to be here," O'Brien said. “The horse had a good season last year, he handles fast ground and we were looking for opportunities to travel with him in his 4-year-old year. There’s fantastic prize money here in Abu Dhabi and the logistics, with stabling at Meydan, have made it easy for us. Ryan Moore told me it is a very fair track with a beautiful surface, so I’m looking forward to Saturday.”

Dark Trooper comes to the Abu Dhabi Gold Cup with course form having claimed the prestigious HH The President Cup at the Abu Dhabi Turf Club in December. The 6-year-old gelding will represent Wathnan Racing, trained by Alban De Mieulle, and will line-up on the outside in stall 16.

Representing Japan is Strauss for trainer Ryo Takei, with Joao Moreira booked to take the ride, having previously ridden the stallion in Australia last time out. The well-fancied combination, who has made the trip purely for this race, will start from stall 10.

“We have only come to Abu Dhabi for this race,” Takei said. “It is our sole focus. We are very happy with the draw and looking forward to Saturday and competing against such a strong international field of runners.”

The Abu Dhabi Gold Cup is the highlight of a seven-race program, which includes group and listed races for both Thoroughbreds and purebred Arabians. The racecard opens with the purebred Arabians, featuring the Liwa Oasis (G2) and the $1 million Alanudd Classic (G1).

The final three races on the card are for Thoroughbreds, culminating in the feature Abu Dhabi Gold Cup. Victory secures an automatic entry in the $1 million Turf Classic (G1) at Churchill Downs on Kentucky Derby day, May 2, providing a direct pathway to one of America’s most prestigious turf events.