Star-studded fields for World Cup races

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Jan. 23 (UPI) -- It almost would be easier to list the star-quality horses not nominated to the races on the March 31 Dubai World Cup program than the ones that are.

Top horses of note from 24 major racing jurisdictions around the world are on the list released Monday, although only a small fraction of them actually will make the trip to the Meydan race course for the year's richest race meeting.

Nominees include five U.S. Breeders' Cup winners, as well as the winners of the 2011 Kentucky Derby, Epsom Oaks, Champion Stakes, Ascot Gold Cup, Eclipse Stakes, Melbourne Cup, Golden Slipper and Caulfield Guineas.

Also nominated are the winners of all five International Group 1 races in Hong Kong during 2011, the Singapore Airlines International Cup and the defending winners of the Dubai Duty Free and the Dubai Golden Shaheen.

Not listed is the undefeated English miler Frankel.

Intriguingly, however, the list does include Black Caviar, the world's top-rated sprinter, who was entered for both sprints on World Cup night -- both on the grass and on the all-weather surface. Black Caviar, a 6-year-old mare, is undefeated in 16 starts, all in Australia.

Black Caviar is slated to face at least 12 rivals Friday in her 2012 debut, the Australia Stakes at Moonee Valley. If she were to travel to Dubai, she could face off in the Golden Shaheen against Sheik Mohammed bin Rasheed Al Maktoum's undefeated sprint star, Sepoy, and last year's winner, Rocket Man, among others.

Trainer Peter Moody, however, said last year that Black Caviar likely would not travel before the Royal Ascot meeting -- if then.