The Dubai World Cup is one of the richest and most prestigious horse races on the planet, but how much prize money is on the table for competing in the Meydan showpiece?
What Is The 2025 Dubai World Cup Prize Money?
The Dubai World Cup is the third-richest horse race on the globe, trailing only the Saudi Cup and The Everest.
The 2025 Dubai World Cup prize money sits at an incredible $12 million – with the majority of that going to the victor at Meydan Racecourse on Saturday, April 5.
The winner will collect $6.96 million – and the best horse racing betting sites are expecting that to be odds-on favourite Forever Young.
If Forever Young Wins, He’ll Take His Career Earnings To Over $21 Million
Forever Young landed the Saudi Cup at Riyadh in February, edging out Romantic Warrior by a neck in a race for the ages to collect the most lucrative prize in horse racing – $10 million.
The four-year-old now switches his focus to the third-biggest pot in the sport this week, where he could take his career earnings well past the $20 million mark.
Currently sitting at career earnings of $14,248,207, Forever Young became Timeform’s highest-rated dirt horse in the world at 131 following victory in Saudi Arabia earlier this year.
The Dubai World Cup runner-up will pocket a tidy $2.4 million, the third $1.2 million and the fourth $600,000.
Simply running in the race gives you a great chance of landing a fortune as even the horse that comes eighth will collect $120,000.
There are currently 11 runners declared, so three are set to walk away empty handed.
Dubai World Cup Prize Money Breakdown
🥇 $6,960,000
🥈 $2,400,000
🥉 $1,200,000
4th $600,000
5th $360,000
6th $240,000
7th $120,000
8th $120,000
Trained by Yoshito Yahagi, Forever Young is the red-hot favourite to continue his ascension as one of the greatest racehorses of all-time. He isn’t known as a flashy type, but undoubtedly honest and genuine – and knows how to get his head in front.
He still has plenty of work to do to catch up on Saudi Cup runner-up Romantic Warrior in the all-time earnings list though – who leads the way with $26,298,595 in prize money, making him the most successful horse in history.
The two rivals will part ways at the Dubai World Cup meeting this year, as Forever Young heads for the feature race on his favoured dirt while Romantic Warrior moves back on the grass to contest the Dubai Turf.
WATCH: Forever Young mugs Romantic Warrior in Saudi Cup 2025
Dubai World Cup Past 10 Winners
- 2024 – Laurel River
- 2023 – Ushba Tesoro
- 2022 – Country Grammer
- 2021 – Mystic Guide
- 2020 – No Race
- 2019 – Thunder Snow
- 2018 – Thunder Snow
- 2017 – Arrogate
- 2016 – California Chrome
- 2015 – Prince Bishop
- 2014 – African Story
Dubai World Cup 2025 Race Details
📅 Date: Saturday, 5th April 2025
⌚ Time: 5:30pm
🏇 Racecourse: Meydan
🔄 Trip: 1m 2f
💷 Winning Purse: $6.96 million
📺 TV: Racing TV
2025 Dubai World Cup Runners Feature Ten Challengers To The Favourite
The biggest danger to Forever Young’s assumed crown is seemingly Bhupat Seemar’s Imperial Emperor, who arrives off the back of an 8.5-length victory at Meydan in the Group 2 Al Maktoum Classic.
His stablemate Walk Of Stars is a bigger price despite getting the better of Imperial Emperor in their last meeting at Meydan in January, but he was simply outclassed against Forever Young in the Saudi Cup after being beaten 29.5 lengths.
Ushba Tesoro, who won this race in 2023, finished a respectable third in the Saudi Cup and is the only other horse in the field priced at shorter than 25/1, a stark representation of the race’s weak nature in the view of Forever Young’s ironclad claims.
2025 Dubai World Cup Runners
- Forever Young 🇯🇵
- Imperial Emperor 🇦🇪
- Walk Of Stars 🇦🇪
- Ushba Tesoro 🇯🇵
- Ramjet 🇯🇵
- Rattle N Roll 🇺🇸
- Wilson Tesoro 🇯🇵
- Hit Show 🇺🇸
- Mixto 🇺🇸
- Il Miracolo 🇺🇸
- Katonah 🇺🇸
