Already, the news has resonated throughout the racing world in a positive way. The development cements the UAE’s position as leading the sport’s internationalization, in a way that sticking with dirt wouldn’t have.

In the USA, the home of dirt racing, they are slowly beginning to embrace the new synthetic, all weather, surfaces, although at the moment the three Triple Crown tracks are stubbornly refusing to budge. It is now accepted that ‘turf’ horses in most cases run just as well on synthetic tracks and this can only be good news for the World Cup.

While racing’s richest contest always produces a spectacle and has been won by some of the greats over the years, there is little doubt that it hasn’t been really targeted by the best European-trained horses – whose trainers were uncertain about their taking to the dirt. In 14 runnings, it has only once been won by a horse trained in Europe (Godolphin are Dubai-based) and that was the great Singspiel back in 1997.

Now, with the synthetic track installed, European trainers are already beginning to target the World Cup – worth an amazing $10million in 2010 – itself, instead of the two turf races. One such is Twice Over, who is trained in England by Henry Cecil. He won the Emirates Airline Champion Stakes on Turf and then put up a career-best effort in the Breeders’ Cup Classic on a synthetic track. The fact that he is being prepared for the World Cup at this early stage is good news, and he could also renew rivalry with Gio Ponti, a renowned turf specialist who finished one spot ahead of him in the Classic.

After finally living up to its self-billing of World Thoroughbred Championships (Europeans trained six of the 14 winners) I think it is a huge shame that the Breeders’ Cup returns to dirt next year at Churchill Downs. However, while European and Australasian trainers may well swerve Kentucky, they are likely to flood to Dubai, making the World Cup a true Olympics of horse racing.

For fans of live racing, Jebel Ali hosts its third meeting of the season on Friday and if the first two meetings have been anything to go by it will be extremely hard to pick winners! Trends aren’t helping us out much either, with all of the usual training stars – Doug Watson, Musabah Al Muhairi, Ali Rashis Al Raihe, Dhruba Selvaratnam etc – all in fine form.