Churchill Downs Names Probable Runners for 2026 UAE Derby at Meydan

Seven days before Dubai World Cup night, Churchill Downs has released its probable runners for the Grade 2 UAE Derby at Meydan, with Devon Island, Al Haram, and UAE-trained Lino Padrino among the horses targeting the $1 million race that serves as the culminating event of the European/Middle East Road to the Kentucky Derby on March 28.

The probable list, provided by Churchill Downs, also includes Duke Of Immatin, Go Man, and Labwah, a Charlatan filly trained by Salem bin Ghadayer who enters off a victory in the 2026 UAE Oaks (G3). Lino Padrino, trained by Bhupat Seemar and a son of Uncle Lino, finished third in the Dubai Road to the Kentucky Derby Stakes in his most recent start. Duke Of Immatin, a Gun Runner colt associated with Musabbeh Al Mheiri, ran second in that same prep. Go Man, trained by Richard Chotard, is a son of Goken who rounds out the list of confirmed probables.

The stakes at Meydan are significant. The UAE Derby awards 100-60-30-15-10 qualifying points to the top five finishers on the Euro-Mideast road, and two invitations to the Kentucky Derby on May 2 will be offered through that path. The winner of the 1 3/16-mile race at Meydan next Saturday picks up the same 100-point haul as the winner of the Arkansas Derby or Florida Derby, both of which run the same day.

Heading into the race, Al Haram leads the European/Middle East Road standings with 30 points but has not been nominated to the Triple Crown, which complicates any Derby path regardless of where the horse finishes at Meydan. Six Speed, Brotherly Love, Hidden Force, and Blanc de Blanc each sit at 20 points, but Six Speed is the only one of that group with a Triple Crown nomination. Six Speed, a Kentucky-bred son of Not This Time, earned his 20 points by winning the UAE Two Thousand Guineas (G3) on January 23.

The road that leads to Meydan has grown considerably more competitive since Churchill Downs Incorporated expanded the European/Middle East series last October. On October 14, 2025, CDI announced it was adding the UAE 2000 Guineas (G3), the Saudi Derby (G3), and the Dubai Road to the Kentucky Derby Stakes, formerly the Al Bastakiya, to the points-bearing schedule. The expansion brings the Euro/Mideast Road to 10 races total.

The Saudi Derby, with a purse of $1.5 million for 3-year-olds on dirt, is contested over 1,600 meters at one turn, a distance that sets up naturally for trainers who want to stretch out to the 1,900 meters of the UAE Derby in a subsequent start. That Saudi-to-Dubai path already has a notable precedent: Forever Young swept both races in 2024, secured his Kentucky Derby spot at Meydan, and went on to finish third at Churchill Downs before winning the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1).

CDI CEO Bill Carstanjen framed the expansion in straightforward commercial terms. "These additions deepen our international pathway to the Kentucky Derby and extend the Derby brand into two of the sport's most dynamic markets," he said. His Excellency Ali Al Ali, CEO and Board Member of Dubai Racing Club, called Meydan "a true international hub for Thoroughbred racing" and said the additions give regional horsemen "a clearly defined pathway to one of the sport's most iconic stages."

The UAE Derby's 100-point top prize puts it on equal footing with the major American preps, and its past winners have come from the United States, Dubai, Great Britain, Ireland, and Japan. With the probable list now public, the race shapes up as the most consequential day on the international Derby calendar before the action shifts back to the United States in April.