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2026 Dubai Sheema Classic Preview
Formerly known as the Dubai Turf Classic, the race was established in 1998 and later picked up its current name of Dubai Sheema Classic. It is scheduled to take place in March of each year at the Meydan racecourse during the Dubai World Cup Night.
The race is run over a trip of one and a half miles on turf, in which runners aged three or older from the southern hemisphere and runners aged four or older from the northern hemisphere are permitted to enter.
Dubai Sheema Classic Information:
- Dubai Sheema Classic Past Winners
- Dubai Sheema Classic Trainer Statistics
- Dubai Sheema Classic Jockey Statistics
Why not use the trends shortlist below to help you narrow down the field and then head over to the dedicated Meydan tips page to see which runners are being supported by the OLBG expert racing tipsters to find yourself a bet? You may also be interested in other preview blogs that we have packed full of information. Head down to the Races Covered at Dubai World Cup Night section for links to these.
Best Horse Racing Betting Sites 2026
How competitive is the Dubai Sheema Classic market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 20 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2018, when the race had an over-round of 112%. The race in 2008 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 128%, whilst on average over the last 20 renewals of the Dubai Sheema Classic, the over-round has been 120%, which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £120 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2026 Dubai Sheema Classic Trends. See which patterns have occurred over the recent renewals that you may be able to use for the next renewal. We also have a section that looks at the Dubai Sheema Classic Trend Analysis.
These are the top three quickest-run Dubai Sheema Classic races over the last 20 renewals:
- Equinox (2:25.65) in 2023
- Mishriff (2:26.65) in 2021
- Rebels Romance (2:26.72) in 2024
Looking at the future form, is the winner worth following next time out? Over the past 20 renewals, if you had followed the winner of the Dubai Sheema Classic next time out, then you would have backed a total of 6 winners. Backing all 19 runners who have been out since their win at SP next time out would have returned an LSP of -2.10. Remember to bookmark the racing tips page to access the OLBG racing picks easily daily.
Over the last 20 renewals, it was Equinox, trained by Tetsuya Kimura and ridden by Christophe-Patrice Lemaire, who set the fastest winning time in the Dubai Sheema Classic. That runner won the race in a time of 2:25.65 in 2023. At the other end of the scale, it was the combination of trainer John Gosden and jockey William Buick with Jack Hobbs who set the slowest winning time; the race-winning time was 2:32.39 in the 2017 renewal.
What the expert says...
Andy Powell - Horse Racing Betting Expert - OLBG.com
Dubai Sheema Classic Past Winners
Here are the Dubai Sheema Classic past winners for the last 10 renewals. Each row details the year of the race, the horse that won, and the horse's age & weight. Also detailed is the stall from which the horse came and the total number of runners in the race. The horse's trainer and the jockey at the time of winning the Dubai Sheema Classic are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
| Year | Horse (Drawn) | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 2:27.05 | Danon Decile (JPN) 4yo 9-0 (3 of 9) 14/1 | Keita Tosaki Shogo Yasuda (JPN) |
| 2024 2:26.72 | Rebels Romance (IRE) 6yo 9-0 (11 of 12) 25/1 | William Buick Charlie Appleby (GB) |
| 2023 2:25.65 | Equinox (JPN) 4yo 8-13 (6 of 10) 1/1F | Christophe-Patrice Lemaire Tetsuya Kimura (JPN) |
| 2022 2:26.88 | Shahryar (JPN) 4yo 8-13 (8 of 15) 13/2 | Cristian Demuro Hideaki Fujiwara (JPN) |
| 2021 2:26.65 | Mishriff (IRE) 4yo 8-13 (9 of 9) 4/1 | David Egan John Gosden (GB) |
| 2019 2:27.17 | Old Persian (GB) 4yo 8-13 (2 of 8) 5/4F | William Buick Charlie Appleby (GB) |
| 2018 2:29.45 | Hawkbill (USA) 5yo 9-0 (7 of 10) 5/1 | William Buick Charlie Appleby (GB) |
| 2017 2:32.39 | Jack Hobbs (GB) 5yo 9-0 (2 of 7) 4/1 | William Buick John Gosden (GB) |
| 2016 2:26.97 | Postponed (IRE) 5yo 9-0 (7 of 9) 4/5F | Andrea Atzeni Roger Varian (GB) |
| 2015 2:28.29 | Dolniya (FR) 4yo 8-8 (2 of 9) 7/1 | Christophe Soumillon A De Royer-Dupre (FR) |
Where have the winning runners come from?
Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the Dubai Sheema Classic have been based:
- GB: 9 winners with an additional 14 placings from 84 runners
- JPN: 5 winners with an additional 13 placings from 38 runners
- FR: 2 winners with an additional 5 placings from 17 runners
- SAF: 1 winner with an additional 2 placings from 21 runners
- IRE: 1 winner with an additional 2 placings from 19 runners
- HK: 1 winner with an additional 2 placings from 9 runners
- UAE: 1 winner with an additional 0 placings from 7 runners
- USA: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 16 runners
- GER: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 7 runners
- KSA: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 5 runners
- QA: 0 winners with an additional 1 placing from 4 runners
- BHR: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 2 runners
- TUR: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 2 runners
- BRZ: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 1 runner
- KUW: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 1 runner
- ARG: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 1 runner
2025 Dubai Sheema Classic Replay
Dubai Sheema Classic Trainer Statistics
There are two leading trainers in the Dubai Sheema Classic over the last 20 renewals, with both Charlie Appleby and John Gosden, who have both won the race three times. Charlie Appleby winners have been with Hawkbill (2018), Old Persian (2019) and Rebels Romance (2024). John Gosden winners have been with Dar Re Mi (2010), Jack Hobbs (2017) and Mishriff (2021). One trainer has not had the best of times in the Dubai Sheema Classic; Saeed bin Suroor has sent a total of 21 runners to the race without recording a win.
Here are some of the top Dubai Sheema Classic trainer statistics over the last 20 renewals (R = Runners, W = Winners, P = Places including winners, Win LSP is based on 1pt Win and EW LSP is based on 0.5pt Win & 0.5pt Place):
| Trainer | R-W-P | Win | EW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlie Appleby | 8-3-4 | +26.25 | +14.60 |
| John Gosden | 3-3-3 | +17.00 | +9.40 |
| M F De Kock | 17-1-3 | -8.50 | -5.45 |
| A P O'Brien | 15-1-3 | -11.25 | -10.13 |
| Mahmood Al Zarooni | 5-1-2 | -2.00 | -0.30 |
| Roger Varian | 4-1-2 | -2.20 | +2.98 |
| A De Royer-Dupre | 3-1-1 | +5.00 | +2.20 |
| Hideaki Fujiwara | 3-1-2 | +4.50 | +5.70 |
| Tetsuya Kimura | 3-1-2 | -1.00 | -0.40 |
| Sei Ishizaka | 2-1-2 | +3.00 | +2.04 |
Dubai Sheema Classic Jockey Statistics
The leading jockey in the Dubai Sheema Classic over the last 20 renewals is William Buick, who has won the race five times, with those five winners coming from Dar Re Mi (2010), Jack Hobbs (2017), Hawkbill (2018), Old Persian (2019) and Rebels Romance (2024). The only other jockey to have recorded multiple wins in the Dubai Sheema Classic is Christophe-Patrice Lemaire (2 wins).
Here are some of the top Dubai Sheema Classic jockey statistics over the last 20 renewals (R = Runners, W = Winners, P = Places including winners, Win LSP is based on 1pt Win and EW LSP is based on 0.5pt Win & 0.5pt Place):
| Jockey | R-W-P | Win | EW |
|---|---|---|---|
| William Buick | 9-5-6 | +40.25 | +22.60 |
| Christophe-Patrice Lemaire | 8-2-3 | -2.25 | -2.75 |
| Ryan Moore | 14-1-5 | -9.00 | -3.15 |
| Frankie Dettori | 13-1-2 | -10.00 | -9.55 |
| Christophe Soumillon | 10-1-4 | -2.00 | +5.90 |
| K Shea | 7-1-1 | +1.50 | -2.25 |
| Olivier Peslier | 7-1-4 | -3.25 | +3.75 |
| Cristian Demuro | 5-1-3 | +2.50 | +5.80 |
| Andrea Atzeni | 5-1-2 | -3.20 | +1.98 |
| Ahmed Ajtebi | 3-1-2 | +12.00 | +8.90 |
2026 Dubai Sheema Classic Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): (4, 10), 4, 4, 2, 4, (2, 3, 5), 1, 2, 2, 6, 8, 1, 3, (3, 4), 1, 7, 2, 1, 12, 2
The percentage shown is the proportion of runners who fell under that factor. High percentages are less appealing than lower ones, as you would expect them to do well. The trend information is based on the available information on the Racing Post in terms of previous runs, etc.
- 20 / 20 (70%) - Within the first 8 of the market
- 20 / 20 (72%) - Not in ARG/AUS/BHR/CAN/DEU/IND/IRL/ITA/ZAF/USA (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (74%) - No bigger than 25/1
- 20 / 20 (75%) - Furthest Won 1m2½f - 1m5½f
- 20 / 20 (75%) - Highest Won is not G3/LST/Cl4-5
- 20 / 20 (76%) - Achieved an RPR of 116+ (Career)
- 20 / 20 (79%) - Achieved an RPR of 108+ (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (83%) - Fewer than 3 placings (180 Days)
- 20 / 20 (85%) - Had 3 - 13 wins (Career)
- 20 / 20 (85%) - Not on HY/SFT/GS (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (86%) - Fewer than 3 races (Season)
- 20 / 20 (86%) - Beaten no more -6½l (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (87%) - Not BB/BL/D/GR/RG in colour
- 20 / 20 (88%) - Not in a G1/LST/Cl6 (Debut)
- 20 / 20 (88%) - Won within last 6 starts
Remember to use the trends listed above, along with the Meydan racing predictions, to see if you can find the winner of the Dubai Sheema Classic. Did you know that we have an OLBG Betting School section on OLBG? It is a place to help you improve your betting experience with articles covering numerous topics.
Are you already a member? If not, then why not? With over £6,000 given away each month in the tipster competition, why not get involved? Remember, it is completely FREE! So, head over to the registration page to sign up today! If you are already a member, then share your thoughts on the Dubai Sheema Classic by adding a tip on the race here.
101 Ways to find Winners in Horse Racing
Dubai Sheema Classic Trend Analysis
✅ The trend factor, which has produced 10+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +33.30, is when runners finished in 1st last time out.
❌ The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners had a best in three result of 2nd, when backing these, the trend shows a record of 0-37.
Here are the most recent winning draws, along with the further placings in brackets:
- 2025: Winner in 3 (2,6) [9 Runners]
- 2024: Winner in 11 (2,9) [12 Runners]
- 2023: Winner in 6 (1,2) [10 Runners]
- 2022: Winner in 8 (12,10) [15 Runners]
- 2021: Winner in 9 (7,8) [9 Runners]
The courses that have produced the most winners of the Dubai Sheema Classic are Nakayama and Meydan; there have been a total of 3 winners from each of those courses.
The race is open to both sexes, with male runners having produced a total of 16 winners from a total of 202 runners, while female runners have produced 4 winners from a total of 32 runners.
Looking over the past renewals, these are the stallions whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the Dubai Sheema Classic:
- Dubawi (3 Wins)
- Deep Impact (2 Wins)
- Singspiel (2 Wins)
These are the stallions whose offspring have not produced a winner of the Dubai Sheema Classic despite multiple attempts:
- Galileo (0 Wins from 14 runners)
- Sinndar (0 Wins from 5 runners)
Looking at the winning odds over the last 20 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Rebels Romance in 2024, winning for Charlie Appleby at odds of 25/1 under the guidance of William Buick. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 20 renewals, there have been 4 winning favourites in the race. Whilst we wait for the 2026 Dubai Sheema Classic, remember you can get daily racing predictions from the top racing tipsters on the best racing tipsters page. All figures and trends above, such as the horse's previous runs, are based on the information that is available on the Racing Post.
Route to the Dubai Sheema Classic
Many trainers target races as preparation for the Dubai Sheema Classic. These are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2025 - Danon Decile Nakayama - 1st of 18 (8/5) | American Jockey Club Cup |
| 2024 - Rebels Romance Doha - 1st of 11 (1/1) | H H The Amir Trophy |
| 2023 - Equinox Nakayama - 1st of 16 (23/10) | Arima Kinen |
| 2022 - Shahryar Tokyo - 3rd of 18 (37/10) | Japan Cup |
| 2021 - Mishriff Janadriyah - 1st of 14 (8/1) | Saudi Cup |
| 2019 - Old Persian Meydan - 1st of 10 (4/6) | Dubai City Of Gold Sponsored By Emirates SkyCargo |
| 2018 - Hawkbill Meydan - 1st of 13 (2/1) | Dubai City Of Gold Sponsored By Emirates SkyCargo |
| 2017 - Jack Hobbs Ascot - 3rd of 10 (7/1) | British Champion Stakes |
| 2016 - Postponed Meydan - 1st of 6 (11/10) | Dubai City Of Gold Sponsored By Skycargo |
| 2015 - Dolniya Chantilly - 1st of 6 (37/10) | Prix Darshaan |
Article Contributor Information
We are fortunate to have an excellent team of specialists and experts at OLBG. Contributing to the creation and maintenance of this Dubai Sheema Classic Preview are Andy and James. They both work on the Horse Racing Tips team, overseeing the tipsters and managing the tip settlement, while also creating and managing all the horse racing event previews for International racing.
James Banting
Expert Guide
Andy Powell
Expert Guide
Races Covered at Dubai World Cup Night
Remember to head over to the Meydan predictions page to see which runner the racing tipsters are supporting in the Dubai Sheema Classic and don't forget we also cover the following races at Dubai World Cup Night.
| Dubai World Cup Night Races | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| Al Quoz Sprint | Believing (IRE) 5yo - 3/1 | George Boughey William Buick |
| Dubai Gold Cup | Dubai Future (GB) 9yo - 17/2 | Saeed bin Suroor Silvestre De Sousa |
| Dubai Golden Shaheen | Dark Saffron (USA) 3yo - 40/1 | A bin Harmash Connor Beasley |
| Dubai Sheema Classic | Danon Decile (JPN) 4yo - 14/1 | Shogo Yasuda Keita Tosaki |
| Dubai Turf | Soul Rush (JPN) 7yo - 14/1 | Yasutoshi Ikee Cristian Demuro |
| Dubai World Cup | Hit Show (USA) 5yo - 66/1 | Brad H Cox Florent Geroux |
| Godolphin Mile | Raging Torrent (USA) 4yo - 3/1 | Doug O'Neill Frankie Dettori |
| UAE Derby | Admire Daytona (JPN) 3yo - 11/1 | Yukihiro Kato Christophe-Patrice Lemaire |
