I’d also consider buying value show tickets on both Al Nefud (assuming his odds stay long) and Magnay Cours (ditto on the long odds). And then I’d sit back and chew on my nails.
Betting Preview for the 2022 Dubai World Cup

For 26 years, the Dubai World Cup (Group 1) has been one of the richest and wealthiest thoroughbred horse races globally.
The epic race is the 1996 brainchild of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. You may know him better as the founder of Godolphin Racing, one of the world’s top thoroughbred breeding and racing operations.
Incidentally, the entire nine-race meet that comprises “Dubai World Cup Day” on Saturday, March 26th, is full of big-purse stakes races, including the one of the Championship Series of qualifying races on the Road to the 2022 Kentucky Derby, the UAE Derby (Group 2).
Fun Fact: This year’s Dubai World Cup nominee list has 153 entries. It’s a doozy, so you may need some help before betting on it. If that’s true, join me as I look things over in my 2022 Dubai World Cup betting guide, complete with top betting sites, odds, and a prediction.
Where to Bet on the 2022 Dubai World Cup
The above list offers some of the best horse racing betting sites that you’ll find online. It’s easy to say that, of course, but these horse racing sportsbooks truly offer the good stuff and give you everything you need to make some winning bets.
If you’re new to betting on horse races – or the Dubai World Cup in particular – you understandably may be wondering what to look for in a good sportsbook. Here are a few things to gather upon a checklist before actually depositing any cash:
- Find a betting site you can trust
- Locate the best odds
- Tap into promos and bonuses
These three tips for finding the best 2022 Dubai World Cup betting sites sound pretty simple (and they are), but they’re also extremely important. Whether via reviews, word of mouth, or your own research, making sure you’re using safe and reputable online betting sites is probably the #1 thing to do.
Once you find a sportsbook you can trust, you will want to find the best pricing available.
You can compare Dubai World Cup odds with other horse racing betting sites, and a generally good rule of thumb has more than one betting site to turn to.

Lastly, don’t miss out on the top bonuses and promos going around online. You can sign up and bet just about anywhere, but you’re hurting yourself as a bettor if you don’t take advantage of deposit bonuses and other promotions that, in a sense, give you free money.
Ultimately, this list of Dubai World Cup betting sites is a stepping stone to help you successfully bet this year. For advice on how to bet on this year’s big race, let’s first look at the latest odds.
Odds for the 2022 Dubai World Cup
Below are the most likely entries for the 2022 Dubai World Cup. The Odds are are current as of Friday, March 18th. Be sure to visit SportBetting.ag to get updated odds and adds/changes to the lineup.
Horse | Trainer | Estimated Odds |
Life Is Good | Todd A. Pletcher | +110 |
Hot Rod Charlie | Doug O’Neill | +300 |
Midnight Bourbon | Steven M. Asmussen | +850 |
Country Grammar | Bob Baffert | +850 |
Hypothetical | Salem Bin Ghadayer | +1800 |
Chuwa Wizards | Okubo Ryuji | +1600 |
Magny Cours | Andre Fabre | +2000 |
Real World | Saeed bin Suroor | +2000 |
Pletcher’s Life is Good enters the 2022 Dubai World Cup as the clear favorite, but Hot Rod Charlie is not that far behind. There are also four total horses with odds at +850 or better right now. The question, of course, is whether bettors should trust in Life is Good or search for more value elsewhere
To explore your options, it’s important to go beyond the pricing. First, let’s break down the top favorite to win the 2022 Dubai World Cup and then see which other horses stand out this year.
What Makes Life Is Good the Oddsmakers’ Favorite?
At the top of all the oddsmakers’ lists is Life Is Good, the four-year-old bay son of Into Mischief and Beach Walk (by Distorted Humor). Trained by Todd Pletcher for CHC Inc. and WinStar Farm LLC, he’s one of two horses to be confirmed (by WinStar spokesmen) to be in Dubai on the 26th.
And these weren’t claiming, and allowance wins. After winning his initial maiden attempt back in November 2020, he’s been virtually unstoppable at the graded stakes level, going from his maiden victory directly to winning last year’s Sham Stakes (Grade III) the San Felipe Stakes (Grade II).
A second-place finish last August at Saratoga in the H. Allen Jerkens Memorial Stakes (Grade I) must have been both humbling and encouraging because he subsequently went on to win his next three races—the Kelso Handicap (Grade II) at Belmont, the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (Grade I) at Del Mar, and the Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (Grade I) at Gulfstream Park.
A top-level thoroughbred race like the Dubai World Cup attracts the best talent, but it’s easy to see that Life Is Good could be easily considered the best.
Other 2022 Dubai World Cup Contenders to Watch
Just because Life Is Good seems to have locked down the affections of the oddsmakers doesn’t mean he won’t have plenty of world-class competition at Meydan Racecourse on March 26th.
The five-year-old son of Tonalist and Arabian Song (by Forestry), Country Grammer has also been confirmed for the big-purse showdown at Meydan Racecourse. Owned by Zedan Racing Stables Inc, Winstar Farm LLC, and Commonwealth Thoroughbreds LLC, Country Grammer is trained by Thoroughbred Hall of Famer Bob Baffert.
Country Grammer won the Hollywood Gold Cup Stakes (Grade I) at Santa Anita last April and recently finished second behind Emblem Road (see next section) in the Saudi Cup in February. Here’s his win at the Hollywood Gold Cup:
The oddsmakers seem to like Hot Rod Charlie much more than his record would suggest, but let’s humor them. This four-year-old son of Oxbow and Indian Miss (by Indian Charlie) finished ten of his 14 career starts in the money, winning four, including the Al Maktoum Challenge, Round 2 (Group 2) at Meydan Racecourse last month.
Last year, he won the Louisiana Derby (Grade II) at Fair Grounds and the Pennsylvania Derby (Grade I) at Parx Racing. Oh, and he finished third in the 2021 Kentucky Derby—so maybe those oddsmakers know a thing or two…
Sleeper Picks to Consider for the 2022 Dubai World Cup
The longer odds assigned to Magna Cours—the four-year-old gelding owned by Godolphin and trained by Andre Fabre—do him a disservice. This scion of Medaglia d’Oro and Indy Five Hundred (by A.P. Indy) has a solid record: 14 money finishes in 17 career starts, seven of them wins—including the Prix Perth (Group 3) at Saint Cloud.
Another “sleeper” is one of the “possibles” among the 153 entries on the 2022 Dubai World Cup nominee list: the four-year-old colt Emblem Road, out of Quality Road and Venturini (by Bernardini).
Trained by Mitab Almulawah for Prince Saud bin Salman Abdulaziz, Emblem Road is the #2 horse on the Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings—just under Life Is Good.
Incidentally, with a purse of USD 20 million, the Saudi Cup is—for the moment—the world’s richest horse race.
Wagering Advice for the Dubai World Cup in 2022
If Emblem Road makes it into the starting gate at Meydan for the Dubai World Cup, then I would consider a winning bet on him, although I suspect his odds won’t be nearly long enough to risk betting against Life Is Good.
In all seriousness, Life is Good is the rightful favorite here, and that’s probably the way to go here if you’re betting on who will win the 2022 Dubai World Cup
The only action available on the Dubai World Cup is prop bets on the likelihood of various horses making the final cut—but you can bet on that, as well—take a quick tour of our selected online sportsbooks.
Remember that the final lineup filling the starting gate for the 2022 Dubai World Cup will be announced the week of the race, so keep an eye on our horseracing picks.
Of course, you can use my insight to place bets now. After all, it’s quite likely the 2022 Dubai World Cups will never be better for the top contenders. Ready to bet? Head over to SportsBetting.ag now!
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