A feature sprint on Dubai World Cup night has been added to the 2012 Global Sprint Challenge.
The Group One Golden Shaheen (1200m) at Meydan on March 31 has been promoted to the Challenge roster, joining feature sprints in Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, the United Kingdom and Singapore.
“The Dubai Golden Shaheen is one of the world’s top sprints with a proven record of attracting horses from multiple jurisdictions and will be a welcome addition to the Global Sprint Challenge,” series chairman Leigh Jordon said.
The Golden Shaheen is run on the synthetic Tapeta surface and was won by Singapore’s Rocket Man in 2011.
Changes have also been made to the criteria for a Global Sprint Challenge bonus structure.
A horse now needs to win a Global Sprint Challenge race in three countries, which can include its home country, to be eligible for the $US1 million bonus pool.
That differs from this year when a horse had to win three races outside its own racing jurisdiction to be eligible.
The Group One Lightning Stakes (1000m) and the Group One Patinack Farm Classic (1200m) are the Australian legs in the 10-race series.
AAP TURF
