The Balanchine (sometimes known as the Balanchine Stakes), is a
horse race
Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...
run over a distance of 1,800 metres (nine furlongs) on turf in February or March at
Meydan Racecourse
Meydan Racecourse is a racecourse in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The grandstand is over a mile in length, and can accommodate over 60,000 spectators.
Meydan opened on 27 March 2010, replacing Nad Al Sheba Racecourse, which formerly occupi ...
in
Dubai
Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...
. The race is named after
Balanchine
George Balanchine (;
Various sources:
*
*
*
* born Georgiy Melitonovich Balanchivadze; ka, გიორგი მელიტონის ძე ბალანჩივაძე; January 22, 1904 (O. S. January 9) – April 30, 1983) was ...
, a horse who won
The Oaks and the
Irish Derby
The Irish Derby (Irish: Dearbaí na hÉireann) is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 ...
in 1994. The race is restricted to female racehorses aged at least four years old, although three-year-olds bred in the southern hemisphere are also qualified.
It was first contested in 2004 at
Nad Al Sheba Racecourse
Nad Al Sheba Racecourse was Thoroughbred horse racing facility in Dubai, United Arab Emirates opened in 1986. It had a 2,200 m left-handed dirt race track and a left-handed turf course of the same distance. It operated from November through March ...
before being transferred to Meydan in 2010.
The Balanchine began as an ungraded race before being elevated to Listed class in 2006. The race was promoted to Group 3 level in 2009 and became a Group 2 event in 2011.
Records
Record time:
*1:48.58 -
Sajjhaa ''2013''
Most wins by a
jockey
A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...
:
* 4 -
Christophe Soumillon
Christophe Soumillon (born 4 June 1981) is a Belgian jockey based in France.
Career
Coming from a racing background, Soumillon is the son of jump jockey Jean-Marc Soumillon. He rode in pony races and left Belgium aged fifteen to go to the racing ...
''2010, 2011, 2012, 2015''
Most wins by a
trainer:
* 5 -
Charlie Appleby ''2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023''
* 5 - Mike de Kock ''2005, 2006, 2008, 2011, 2012''
Most wins by an owner:
* 9 -
Godolphin Racing
Godolphin (Arabic: جودلفين) is the Maktoum family's private Thoroughbred horseracing stable and was named in honour of the Godolphin Arabian, who came from the desert to become one of the three founding stallions of the modern Thoroug ...
''2004, 2013, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023''
Winners
{, class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:90%"
, -
! style="width:36px" , Year
! style="width:110px" , Winner
! Age
! style="width:135px" , Jockey
! style="width:140px" , Trainer
! style="width:250px" , Owner
! Time
, -
, 2004
, Gonfilia
, 4
,
Frankie Dettori
Lanfranco Dettori (; born 15 December 1970), better known as Frankie Dettori, is an Italian horse racing jockey based in the United Kingdom. Dettori has been British flat racing Champion Jockey three times and has ...
,
Saeed bin Suroor
Saeed bin Suroor (born 16 November 1968 in Dubai) is a horse racing trainer in Great Britain. He took out his training licence in 1993 and the following year was appointed as the trainer for Sheikh Mohammed's Godolphin operation.
He has been ...
,
Godolphin
, 1:48.70
, -
, 2005
, Moon Dazzle
, 4
, Johnny Geroudis
,
Mike de Kock
Mike de Kock (born February 14, 1964) is a South African racehorse trainer. He currently holds the South African record for most Grade 1 wins by a trainer with 133. He has trained over 3,400 winners who have won in South Africa, UAE, Hong Kong, ...
, Bernard Kantor
, 1:49:80
, -
, 2006
, Iridescence
, 4
,
Weichong Marwing
Weichong C. Marwing (born 14 March 1970 in South Africa) is a Thoroughbred horse racing jockey. Based in South Africa, he has won a number of important international Group One races. He is well remembered for riding Irridescence to victory ov ...
,
Mike de Kock
Mike de Kock (born February 14, 1964) is a South African racehorse trainer. He currently holds the South African record for most Grade 1 wins by a trainer with 133. He has trained over 3,400 winners who have won in South Africa, UAE, Hong Kong, ...
,
Team Valor
Team Valor Stable LLC is an American Thoroughbred horse racing stable based in Lake Worth, Florida. It was founded by Barry Irwin and Jeff Siegel who create partnerships (syndicates) with racing enthusiasts to race Thoroughbred horses at major ...
, 1:52.17
, -
, 2007
, Royal Alchemist
, 5
,
Kerrin McEvoy
Kerrin McEvoy (born 28 October 1980) is an Australian jockey who is best known for winning three Melbourne Cups. In Europe, McEvoy rode several big winners for Godolphin including Rule of Law in the St Leger Stakes at Doncaster in 2004 and Ibn ...
, Ismail Mohammed
, Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum
, 1:49:13
, -
, 2008
,
Sun Classique
, 4
, Kevin Shea
,
Mike de Kock
Mike de Kock (born February 14, 1964) is a South African racehorse trainer. He currently holds the South African record for most Grade 1 wins by a trainer with 133. He has trained over 3,400 winners who have won in South Africa, UAE, Hong Kong, ...
, L Cohen & W V Rippon
, 1:52:23
, -
, 2009
, My Central
, 5
,
Johnny Murtagh
Johnny Murtagh (born 14 May 1970) is an Irish flat racing trainer and former jockey from Bohermeen, near Navan, Kells, County Meath. As a jockey he won many of the major flat races in Europe, including all the Irish Classi ...
, Herman Brown
, Scuderia Siba
, 1:51.09
, -
, 2010
, Deem
, 5
,
Christophe Soumillon
Christophe Soumillon (born 4 June 1981) is a Belgian jockey based in France.
Career
Coming from a racing background, Soumillon is the son of jump jockey Jean-Marc Soumillon. He rode in pony races and left Belgium aged fifteen to go to the racing ...
, Jerry Barton
, Sultan Mohammed Saud Al Kabeer
, 1:53.93
, -
, 2011
, River Jetez
, 7
,
Christophe Soumillon
Christophe Soumillon (born 4 June 1981) is a Belgian jockey based in France.
Career
Coming from a racing background, Soumillon is the son of jump jockey Jean-Marc Soumillon. He rode in pony races and left Belgium aged fifteen to go to the racing ...
,
Mike de Kock
Mike de Kock (born February 14, 1964) is a South African racehorse trainer. He currently holds the South African record for most Grade 1 wins by a trainer with 133. He has trained over 3,400 winners who have won in South Africa, UAE, Hong Kong, ...
, C A Amm & Marsh Shirtliff
, 1:48.79
, -
, 2012
, Mahbooba
, 4
,
Christophe Soumillon
Christophe Soumillon (born 4 June 1981) is a Belgian jockey based in France.
Career
Coming from a racing background, Soumillon is the son of jump jockey Jean-Marc Soumillon. He rode in pony races and left Belgium aged fifteen to go to the racing ...
,
Mike de Kock
Mike de Kock (born February 14, 1964) is a South African racehorse trainer. He currently holds the South African record for most Grade 1 wins by a trainer with 133. He has trained over 3,400 winners who have won in South Africa, UAE, Hong Kong, ...
, Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Maktoum
, 1:50.27
, -
, 2013
,
Sajjhaa
, 6
,
Silvestre de Sousa
Silvestre de Sousa (born 31 December 1980 in São Francisco do Maranhão, Brazil) is a Brazilian flat racing jockey based in Britain. He was champion jockey of Britain in 2015, with 132 winners, and again in 2017 and 2018.
Childhood and early ...
,
Saeed bin Suroor
Saeed bin Suroor (born 16 November 1968 in Dubai) is a horse racing trainer in Great Britain. He took out his training licence in 1993 and the following year was appointed as the trainer for Sheikh Mohammed's Godolphin operation.
He has been ...
,
Godolphin
, 1:48.58
, -
, 2014
, L'Amour de Ma Vie
, 5
,
Maxime Guyon
Maxime Guyon (born 7 May 1989) is a French flat racing jockey, who debuted at 2005. In 2008, he received a professional license and won first group one at the Grand Prix de Paris. In 2010, he won races in the United Kingdom, Japan and Hong Kong. ...
, Pia Brandt
, MD Bloodstock Limited
, 1:50.55
, -
, 2015
, Cladocera
, 4
,
Christophe Soumillon
Christophe Soumillon (born 4 June 1981) is a Belgian jockey based in France.
Career
Coming from a racing background, Soumillon is the son of jump jockey Jean-Marc Soumillon. He rode in pony races and left Belgium aged fifteen to go to the racing ...
,
Alain de Royer Dupre Alain may refer to:
People
* Alain (given name), common given name, including list of persons and fictional characters with the name
* Alain (surname)
* "Alain", a pseudonym for cartoonist Daniel Brustlein
* Alain, a standard author abbreviation u ...
, Haras de la Perelle
, 1:50.74
, -
, 2016
, Very Special
, 4
,
James Doyle James Doyle may refer to:
The arts
* James Francis Doyle (1840–1913), British architect
* James S. Doyle (born 1935), American journalist
* James William Edmund Doyle (1822–1892), English illustrator and antiquary
* Jimmy Doyle (musician) (194 ...
,
Saeed bin Suroor
Saeed bin Suroor (born 16 November 1968 in Dubai) is a horse racing trainer in Great Britain. He took out his training licence in 1993 and the following year was appointed as the trainer for Sheikh Mohammed's Godolphin operation.
He has been ...
,
Godolphin
, 1:48.85
, -
, 2017
, Opal Tiara
, 4
,
Oisin Murphy
Oisin Murphy (born 6 September 1995) is an Irish jockey based in the United Kingdom who competes in flat racing. He has won a British Classic and a number of Group 1 races. He was British Champion Jockey in 2019, 2020 and 2021.
Early li ...
,
Mick Channon
Michael Roger Channon (born 28 November 1948) is an English former professional footballer who played as a forward, most notably for Southampton, and went on to represent the England national team in the 1970s. Scoring over 250 goals in his c ...
, Filly Folly & Sweet Partnership
, 1:49.72
, -
, 2018
, Promising Run
, 5
,
Pat Cosgrave
Patrick Cosgrave (born 2 June 1982 in Banbridge) is a Northern Irish flat racing jockey based in England. He won his first race in 1999 and went on to become Irish champion apprentice in 2003, having spent two years in the stable of Aidan O'Brie ...
,
Saeed bin Suroor
Saeed bin Suroor (born 16 November 1968 in Dubai) is a horse racing trainer in Great Britain. He took out his training licence in 1993 and the following year was appointed as the trainer for Sheikh Mohammed's Godolphin operation.
He has been ...
,
Godolphin
, 1:49.79
, -
, 2019
, Poetic Charm
, 4
,
William Buick
William Buick (born 22 July 1988) is a Norwegian-British flat jockey. He shared the champion apprentice jockey title in 2008 with David Probert and won the Lester Award for Apprentice Jockey of the Year in 2007 and 2008. From 2010 to 2014 he w ...
,
Charlie Appleby
,
Godolphin
, 1:49.60
, -
, 2020
, Magic Lily
, 5
,
William Buick
William Buick (born 22 July 1988) is a Norwegian-British flat jockey. He shared the champion apprentice jockey title in 2008 with David Probert and won the Lester Award for Apprentice Jockey of the Year in 2007 and 2008. From 2010 to 2014 he w ...
,
Charlie Appleby
,
Godolphin
, 1:47.65
, -
, 2021
, Summer Romance
, 4
,
James Doyle James Doyle may refer to:
The arts
* James Francis Doyle (1840–1913), British architect
* James S. Doyle (born 1935), American journalist
* James William Edmund Doyle (1822–1892), English illustrator and antiquary
* Jimmy Doyle (musician) (194 ...
,
Charlie Appleby
,
Godolphin
, 1:48.47
, -
, 2022
, Creative Flair
, 4
,
William Buick
William Buick (born 22 July 1988) is a Norwegian-British flat jockey. He shared the champion apprentice jockey title in 2008 with David Probert and won the Lester Award for Apprentice Jockey of the Year in 2007 and 2008. From 2010 to 2014 he w ...
,
Charlie Appleby
,
Godolphin
, 1:47.99
, -
, 2023
, With The Moonlight
, 4
,
William Buick
William Buick (born 22 July 1988) is a Norwegian-British flat jockey. He shared the champion apprentice jockey title in 2008 with David Probert and won the Lester Award for Apprentice Jockey of the Year in 2007 and 2008. From 2010 to 2014 he w ...
,
Charlie Appleby
,
Godolphin
, 1:49.47
See also
*
List of United Arab Emirates horse races
A list of notable flat horse races which take place annually in the United Arab Emirates, including all conditions races which currently hold Group 1, 2 or 3 status.
Group 1
Group 2
Group 3
Listed races
References
– ''Flat races in UAE, ...
References
Horse races in the United Arab Emirates
Recurring events established in 2004
Nad Al Sheba Racecourse
2004 establishments in the United Arab Emirates