The Dubai World Cup, renowned as the world's most expensive single-day sporting event with a 30.5 million U.S. dollar prize pool, concluded Saturday at Dubai's Meydan Racecourse.
With 102 elite horses from 13 nations and regions competing across nine races, the 2025 edition held in the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) showcased a blend of elite horseracing and a unique "racing without gambling" business pattern that continues to redefine the sport's global appeal, and reinforces Dubai's vision of horseracing as a vehicle for economic diversification.
The grand event saw Qatar's "Hit Show" triumph in this year's main event at Meydan. Hit Show, owned by Wathnan Racing, ridden by Florent Geroux and trained by Brad Cox, prevailed over eight top competitors in 2:03:50 minutes, earning 6.96 million U.S. dollars.
"Romantic Worrier", one of the three horses from China's Hong Kong, nearly missed victory and won the second place in the "Dubai Turf" race for purebred thoroughbreds of the first category, the 7th round of the Dubai World Cup 2025. It won a cash prize of one million U.S. dollars.
Unlike other major horse racing events reliant on gambling revenues, the Dubai World Cup thrives on sponsorships, tourism, and media rights. "Look the camera left and right, you can see that the place is packed. And this is a big revenue-generating aspect for horse racing. It's becoming more and more of a family gathering, a place where people come to enjoy not only horse racing, but also other facilities that we have, including food and beverage," said Ali Al Ali, chief executive officer and board member of Dubai Racing Club.
Ticket sales reflected strong domestic and global interest, with 54 percent of purchases coming from within the UAE and 46 percent from high-net-worth racing enthusiasts abroad.
The influx of visitors led to a surge in luxury hotel bookings and a windfall for high-end retailers, who capitalized on the event's glamorous atmosphere and exclusive shopping experiences. Beyond its on-track spectacle, the Dubai World Cup continues to thrive as a commercial powerhouse, with broadcast rights serving as a major revenue driver.
The event attracts around one billion viewers worldwide each year. A total of 37 broadcasters covered the event to 170 countries and regions this year, creating a record high, which further cemented its reputation as one of the most-watched horse racing competitions globally.
Dubai World Cup 2025 draws global horse-racing elites
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Tuesday that mediation efforts of the Pakistani side regarding the Middle East tensions are in the common interests of all parties.
Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks in his talks with Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar in Beijing.
During their talks, the two sides exchanged views on current international issues and regional conflicts.
Wang welcomed the visit of the Pakistani side to Beijing for discussion on easing tensions in the Middle East, just after its holding of a quadrilateral foreign ministers' meeting in Islamabad.
He said China supports and looks forward to Pakistan playing a unique and important role in easing the situation and resuming peace talks. This process is no easy task, and Pakistan's mediation efforts are in line with the common interests of all parties, Wang added.
He noted China is willing to make joint efforts with Pakistan to end the hostilities as soon as possible, create opportunities for peace and open the window for peace talks.
On bilateral ties, Wang said this year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan, calling on both sides to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries and constantly advance the building of a China-Pakistan community with a shared future.
For his part, Dar said the Pakistan-China friendship is precious and deeply rooted in people's hearts, adding that Pakistan is willing to work with China to promote the continuous development of the all-weather strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries.
Dar thanked China for supporting Pakistan's mediation of the situation in Iran, adding that the current conflict has disrupted international energy supplies and caused heavy damage to developing countries.
Noting that solutions can only be found through negotiation, Dar said Pakistan is willing to strengthen communication and coordination with China to push all parties to start peace talks as soon as possible and restore regional peace.
The two sides also put forward a five-point initiative for restoring peace and stability in the Gulf and the Middle East region:
I. Immediate cessation of hostilities: China and Pakistan call for immediate cessation of hostilities and utmost efforts to prevent the conflict from spreading. Humanitarian assistance must be allowed to all war-affected areas.
II. Start of peace talks as soon as possible. Sovereignty, territorial integrity, national independence and security of Iran and the Gulf states should be safeguarded. Dialogue and diplomacy is the only viable option to resolve conflicts. China and Pakistan support the relevant parties in initiating talks, with all parties committing to peaceful resolution of disputes, and refraining from the use or the threat of use of force during peace talks.
III. Security of nonmilitary targets. The principle of protecting civilians in military conflict should be observed. China and Pakistan call on parties to the conflict to immediately stop attacks on civilians and nonmilitary targets, and fully adhere to International Humanitarian Law, and stop attacking important infrastructure, including energy, desalination and power facilities, and peaceful nuclear infrastructure, such as nuclear power plants.
IV. Security of shipping lanes. The Strait of Hormuz, together with its adjacent waters, is an important global shipping route for goods and energy. China and Pakistan call on the parties to protect the security of ships and crew members stranded in the Strait of Hormuz, allow the early and safe passage of civilian and commercial ships, and restore normal passage through the Strait as soon as possible.
V. Primacy of the United Nations Charter. China and Pakistan call for efforts to practice true multilateralism, to jointly strengthen the primacy of the United Nations, and to support the conclusion of an agreement for establishing a comprehensive peace framework and realizing lasting peace based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and international law.
Pakistan's mediation efforts in common interests of all parties: Chinese FM
Pakistan's mediation efforts in common interests of all parties: Chinese FM
