The Dubai Racing Club (DRC) today announced that they have appointed Goffs, Ireland's leading bloodstock sales company, to conduct the Middle East’s first ‘Breeze-Up Sale’ for two-year-old horses during the Dubai World Cup week to be held in March 2022.

The Dubai World Cup Breeze-Up Sale, in association with Goffs, will be organised on 24 March, 2022 at Meydan Racecourse, just two days before the prestigious Dubai World Cup. The sale will be confined to a maximum of 70 two-year-old horses that will be sourced from vendors by Goffs and will provide a new buying bench for the sector as the sale will be open to both local and international buyers. The two-year-old horses will undergo a full veterinary examination prior to departure to ensure full transparency and buyer confidence.

Sheikh Rashid bin Dalmook Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Racing Club, said: "Hosting the Middle East’s first Breeze-Up Sale, along with the first-ever online sale to be conducted in the Gulf and Middle East region, will contribute to further enhancing Dubai’s status as a leading player in the world of horse racing. We believe that our partnership with a world-renowned auction house will enable us to take greater steps towards creating a bright future for this sport in the UAE."

Sheikh Rashid added that under the guidance and support of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the equine industry in Dubai has continued to grow rapidly, which led to the city becoming a hub for hosting equine endurance competitions and other equine activities.

"Dubai World Cup week continues to serve as a meeting point for leading owners and bloodstock professionals from Europe, USA, Australasia and Asia, and as such we are hoping for strong trade at the inaugural Dubai Breeze-Up Sale. We are confident that the potential horses will bring plenty of success to their new owners," added Sheikh Rashid.

Henry Beeby, Goffs Group Chief Executive, commented: "We are extremely grateful to the Dubai Racing Club for the confidence they have shown in the Goffs service by entrusting this prestigious sale to us. We look forward to working with Sheikh Rashid bin Dalmook, the Chairman of Dubai Racing Club, and his team to deliver a world class event a day before the eve of the world’s most prestigious race. We have a long and successful track record in the Breeze-Up sphere having held Europe’s first Breeze-Up Sale at Doncaster back in 1977, which also proved the source of the first European Classic winner from the sale in Speciosa who won the English 1,000 Guineas. It will be a privilege to conduct a sale of this stature in Dubai at the invitation of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum."

The two-year-old horses will arrive in Dubai ten days prior to the sale and breeze on the dirt track at Meydan the day before the sale, on the morning of 23 March, 2022. Whilst termed a ‘Breeze-Up’ Sale, the juveniles will not work against the clock or laser and instead be galloped on the bridle to illustrate their potential and longevity as racehorses in the Middle East.

Nominations will open to potential vendors in due course, along with stable visits that will take place following the yearling sales season, led by the Nick Nugent and Tom Taaffe, the latter of whom brokered the deal on behalf of Goffs.