March 27 event will see a night of world-class horseracing and the opening ceremony to mark the official launch of Meydan

Meydan today announced that international artistes Elton John and Santana will be performing ‘live’ at the 2010 Dubai World Cup on March 27. The 15th running of the Dubai World Cup also marks the official launch of the world’s largest integrated racing facility, the Meydan Grandstand and Racecourse.

The inaugural Meydan Masters meeting, the final fixture before the Dubai World Cup one on Saturday 27th March, takes place tomorrow and is a seven race, all Thoroughbred card, sponsored by Meydan. An international jockeys' challenge, the Meydan Masters features 12 of the world's top jockeys competing against one another in four handicaps with their mounts randomly selected.

Derrinstown Stud, the Irish arm of the breeding operation of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum sponsors the Super Thursday meeting, the seven race card designed as the ideal preparation for Dubai World Cup night on Saturday 27th March.

The night's features are the concluding rounds of the Al Maktoum Challenge, both over 2000m but to be run on the all weather track for the first time. The Group 1 Purebred Arabian version opens the card and there has to be every chance the sponsor will maintain his 100% strike rate in Purebred Arabian races at Meydan.

Mike de Kock and Saeed bin Suroor continued their excellent 2010 Dubai International Racing Carnival campaigns at the seventh meeting on Thursday evening.

South African de Kock won the UAE Oaks, over 1900m, for the first time with Raihana who was given a confident ride by Christophe Soumillon to pass Kieren Fallon on Bikini Babe well inside the final 100m.

Thursday's seventh meeting of the 2010 Dubai International Racing Carnival, which is an eight race all Thoroughbred affair, is kindly sponsored by Meydan and sees the Group Three Balanchine Stakes, the Listed UAE Oaks and the second running of the DRC Gold Cup.

The Shadwell organisation of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum sponsored Thursday’s fifth Meydan Dubai International Racing Carnival meeting and it was the sponsor’s Nirwan who won the opening 2200m Group One Purebred Arabian version of the second round of the Al Maktoum Challenge.

Tadhg O’Shea was in the saddle on the Doug Watson-trained Nirwan and the trainer said: “It is great to win these races and we have done well in this race in the past.”