| Surface: | Dirt |
| Class: | Group One |
| Horse Race: | Al Maktoum Challenge |
| Location: | Meydan Racecourse Dubai, United Arab Emirates |
| Inaugurated: | 1994 |
| Race Type: | Thoroughbred - Flat racing |
| Distance: | 1,900 metres |
| Track: | Left-handed |
| Purse: | $1,000,000 (2024) |
The Al Maktoum Challenge, is a horse race run over a distance of 1,900 metres (approximately one and three-sixteenth miles) on dirt in late January at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai. The event was known as Al Maktoum Challenge, Round 3 and was the third of three races in the Al Maktoum Challenge series which serve as trial races for the Dubai World Cup but was renamed in 2024
It was first run in 1994 on dirt at Nad Al Sheba Racecourse. It was transferred to Meydan in 2010 where it was run on the synthetic Tapeta Footings surface. In 2015 the synthetic surface at Meydan was replaced by a dirt track.[1]
The race was originally run over 2,400 metres before he current distance was established in 1996.
The race began as an ungraded stakes race before attaining Listed status in 1996. The race was elevated to Group 3 level in 2000 and became a Group 2 event in 2002. The race became a Group 1 event in 2012.
The distance of the event was decreased from 2,000 metres to 1,900 metres in 2024. The three race challenge series was moved for Arabian horses and the event was rebranded as the Al Maktoum Challenge.[2]
Record time:
Most wins by a horse:
Most wins by a jockey:
Most wins by a trainer:
Most wins by an owner:
| Year | Winner | Age | Jockey | Trainer | Owner | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Cezanne | 5 | Gary Hind | Hilal Ibrahim | Sheikh Mohammed | 2:36.77 | |
| 1995 | Dover Straits | 4 | John Carroll | Hilal Ibrahim | Sheikh Mohammed | 2:34.40 | |
| 1996 | Tamayaz | 4 | Frankie Dettori | Saeed bin Suroor | Godolphin | 2:08.41 | |
| 1997 | Kammtarra | 4 | Frankie Dettori | Saeed bin Suroor | Saeed Maktoum Al Maktoum | 2:03.83 | |
| 1998 | Nabhaan | 5 | Richard Hills | David Morley | Hamdan Al Maktoum | 2:05.91 | |
| 1999 | Spindrift | 4 | Gary Hind | Saeed bin Suroor | Rashid Bin Mohammed | 2:00.53 | |
| 2000 | Dubai Millennium | 4 | Frankie Dettori | Saeed bin Suroor | Godolphin | 1:59.60 | |
| 2001 | Hightori | 4 | Olivier Peslier | Philippe Demercastel | Gary Tanaka | 2:01.59 | |
| 2002 | Street Cry | 4 | Frankie Dettori | Saeed bin Suroor | Godolphin | 2:01.25 | |
| 2003 | Grandera | 5 | Frankie Dettori | Saeed bin Suroor | Godolphin | 2:02.83 | |
| 2004 | Victory Moon | 4 | Weichong Marwing | Mike de Kock | Mad Syndicate | 2:03.30 | |
| 2005 | Chiquitin | 4 | Michael Kinane | Jerry Barton | Sultan Mohammed Saud Al Kabeer | 2:04.70 | |
| 2006 | Electrocutionist | 5 | Frankie Dettori | Saeed bin Suroor | Godolphin | 2:01.06 | |
| 2007 | Eu Tambem | 3 | Kerrin McEvoy | Ismail Mohammed | Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum | 2:01.53 | |
| 2008 | Jalil | 4 | Frankie Dettori | Saeed bin Suroor | Godolphin | 2:03:35 | |
| 2009 | Asiatic Boy | 5 | Johnny Murtagh | Mike de Kock | Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Maktoum | 2:03.03 | |
| 2010 | Red Desire | 4 | Olivier Peslier | Mikio Matsunaga | Tokyo Horse Racing | 2:02.62 | |
| 2011 | Twice Over | 6 | Tom Queally | Henry Cecil | Khalid Abdullah | 2:05.44 | |
| 2012 | Capponi | 5 | Ahmed Ajtebi | Mahmood Al Zarooni | Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum | 2:03.05 | |
| 2013 | Hunter's Light | 5 | Silvestre de Sousa | Saeed bin Suroor | Godolphin | 2:03.65 | |
| 2014 | Prince Bishop | 7 | Kieren Fallon | Saeed bin Suroor | Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum | 2:04.23 | |
| 2015 | African Story | 8 | James Doyle | Saeed bin Suroor | Godolphin | 2:04.92 | |
| 2016 | Special Fighter | 5 | Fernando Jara | Musabah Al Muhairi | Mansoor bin Mohammed al Maktoum | 2:03.09 | |
| 2017 | Long River | 7 | Mickael Barzalona | Salem bin Ghadayer | Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum | 2:04.20 | |
| 2018 | North America | 6 | Richard Mullen | Satish Seemar | Ramzan Kadyrov | 2:01.71 | |
| 2019 | Capezzano | 5 | Mickael Barzalona | Salim bin Ghadayer | Sultan Ali | 2:05.02 | |
| 2020 | Matterhorn | 5 | Mickael Barzalona | Salim bin Ghadayer | Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum | 2:04.44 | |
| 2021 | Salute The Soldier | 6 | Adrie de Vries | Fawzi Abdulla Nass | Victorious | 2:03.09 | |
| 2022 | Hypothetical | 5 | Mickael Barzalona | Salem bin Ghadayer | Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum | 2:04.79 | |
| 2023 | Salute The Soldier | 8 | Adrie de Vries | Fawzi Abdulla Nass | Victorious | 2:04.52 | |
| 2024 | Kabirkhan | 4 | Pat Dobbs | Doug Watson | Tlek Mukanbetkaliyev | 1:57.72 |