# UAE Derby

The UAE Derby is a Group 2 flat horse race in the United Arab Emirates for three-year-old thoroughbreds run over a distance of 1,900 metres (approximately 9.5 furlongs) on dirt at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai. It takes place annually during the Dubai World Cup Night on the last Saturday in March.
It was first run in 2000 and attained Group 2 status two years later. The distance of the race was increased to 2,000 metres (10 furlongs) in 2002, before reverting to 1,800 metres in 2004, and increased again to 1,900 meters in 2010. The race is open to both Northern and Southern Hemisphere three-year-olds.
The UAE Derby currently offers a purse of US$2.5 million. Considered a major race leading up to the Kentucky Derby in the United States, the top UAE Derby finishers received Kentucky Derby points from 2013 until 2024. Starting in 2025, the UAE Derby will be part of a separate series of Kentucky Derby prep races covering Europe and the Middle East.

## Records

Speed record:
* 1:47.04 – Express Tour (At former distance of 1,800 metres)
* 1:55.18 – Mendelssohn (over current distance of 1,900 metres)
Most wins by an owner:
* 9 – Godolphin Racing (2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2011, 2017, 2021)
Most wins by a jockey:
* 3 – Christophe Soumillon (2010, 2015, 2017)
Most wins by a trainer:
* 8 – Saeed bin Suroor (2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2011, 2017)

## Winners

| Year | Winner | Jockey | Trainer | Owner | Time |
| 2000 | China Visit | Richard Hills | Saeed bin Suroor | Godolphin Racing | 1:49.50 |
| 2001 | Express Tour | David R. Flores | Saeed bin Suroor | Godolphin Racing | 1:47.04 |
| 2002 | Essence of Dubai | Frankie Dettori | Saeed bin Suroor | Godolphin Racing | 2:02.90 |
| 2003 | Victory Moon | Wayne Smith | Mike de Kock | Mad Syndicate | 2:02.45 |
| 2004 | Lundy's Liability | Weichong Marwing | Mike de Kock | Stud TNT & Mary Slack | 1:50.83 |
| 2005 | Blues and Royals | Kerrin McEvoy | Saeed bin Suroor | Godolphin Racing | 1:50.05 |
| 2006 | Discreet Cat | Frankie Dettori | Saeed bin Suroor | Godolphin Racing | 1:48.59 |
| 2007 | Asiatic Boy | Weichong Marwing | Mike de Kock | Sheikh M. bin Khalifa | 1:48.82 |
| 2008 | Honour Devil | Johnny Murtagh | Mike de Kock | Sheikh M. bin Khalifa | 1:48.60 |
| 2009 | Regal Ransom | Alan Garcia | Saeed bin Suroor | Godolphin Racing | 1:50.00 |
| 2010 | Musir | Christophe Soumillon | Mike de Kock | Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Maktoum | 1:57.44 |
| 2011 | Khawlah | Mickael Barzalona | Saeed bin Suroor | Godolphin Racing | 1:58.83 |
| 2012 | Daddy Long Legs | Colm O'Donoghue | Aidan O'Brien | Michael Tabor, John Magnier & Derrick Smith | 1:58.35 |
| 2013 | Lines of Battle* | Ryan Moore | Aidan O'Brien | Michael Tabor, John Magnier & Derrick Smith | 2:02.05 |
| 2014 | Toast of New York | Jamie Spencer | Jamie Osborne | Michael Buckley | 1:57.92 |
| 2015 | Mubtaahij | Christophe Soumillon | Mike de Kock | Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Maktoum | 1:58.35 |
| 2016 | Lani | Yutaka Take | Mikio Matsunaga | Yoko Maeda | 1:58.41 |
| 2017 | Thunder Snow | Christophe Soumillon | Saeed bin Suroor | Godolphin Racing | 1:57.76 |
| 2018 | Mendelssohn | Ryan Moore | Aidan O'Brien | Derrick Smith, Susan Magnier & Michael Tabor | 1:55.19 |
| 2019 | Plus Que Parfait | José Ortiz | Brendan Walsh | Imperial Racing | 1:58.41 |
| 2020 | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. |
| 2021 | Rebel's Romance | William Buick | Charlie Appleby | Godolphin Racing | 1:56.28 |
| 2022 | Crown Pride | Damian Lane | Koichi Shintani | Teruya Yoshida | 1:59.76 |
| 2023 | Derma Sotogake | Christophe Lemaire | Hidetaka Otonashi | Hiroyuki Asanuma | 1:55.81 |
| 2024 | Forever Young | Ryusei Sakai | Yoshito Yahagi | Susumu Fujita | 1:57.89 |
| 2025 | | | | | |
* Lines of Battle was later renamed Helene Super Star