With more than $30 million on offer across nine races, the Dubai World Cup is the richest race meeting in the world. Five races take place on the dirt, four on the turf, and the climax of the day is the $10 million World Cup itself, which is run over 2000 metres and dates back to 1996 when it was won by the mighty Cigar.

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Here in the UK, the action gets underway at 11.45 am and reaches a crescendo at 4.45 pm. Most of the major horse racing networks will be showing the races so check the television schedules with your local provider.

Let’s take a race-by-race look at the full Meydan card on Saturday afternoon.

11.45 Godolphin Mile 1m

Vying for favouritism is North America.  He has won his last four races, culminating in an easy victory in a Group 3 at Meydan last month. He won a handicap off a rating of 86 and has now reached a current mark of 113.

His market rival and chief threat is Sharp Azteca. Jorge Navarro's runner followed a narrow defeat in a Santa Anita Grade 1 on Boxing Day with an impressive victory in a handicap at Gulfstream and sets the standard here.

12.15 Dubai Kahayla Classic (Arab Race) 1m 2f

Eric Lemartinel is double-handed with RB Burn and RB Dixie Burning as he eyes a second victory in Dubai Kahayla Classic, his last being back in 2008.

AF Mathmoon, winner of the race 12 months ago now runs under Al Raihe’s charge for the first time.

TM Thunder Struck narrowly missed out on winning this race last year and is looking to go one better this time around.

12.50 Dubai Gold Cup 2m

The 14 runners are headed by the first two home from 12 months ago – Vazirabad and Big Orange. The preference is for Vazirabad who  had a prep race coming second, four weeks ago, in the Group 3 Nad Al Sheba Trophy over 2810m.

Ed Dunlop’s Trip To Paris is too big a price to ignore and is worth an each-way interest.

1.25 UAE Derby 1m 1f

Not surprisingly, Godolphin is well represented and responsible for three runners, seemingly headed by Thunder Snow who along with Top Score and Fly At Dawn, will be seeking to give Saeed bin Suroor his eighth victory in the race but the first since 2011.

Mike de Kock who has won the race six times previously saddles Fawree who was unlucky to unseat in the stalls last time out.

2.00 Al Quoz Sprint 5f

Limato won the Group 1 July Cup at Newmarket over 1,200 metres last season and struck again at the top level when stepping up to 1,400 metres in the Prix De La Foret at Chantilly. He could only finish sixth however in the Breeders’ Cup Mile. Without question Henry Candy will have him ready for this race.

Ali Rashid Al Raihe appears to have the best chance of sending out a UAE-trained winner on Dubai World Cup night with his runner Ertijaal

2.35 Dubai Golden Shaheen 6f

Jim Crowley is looking to ride Sheikh Hamdan’s dirt sprinter Muarrab more prominently on Saturday in order to regain the trophy they won together twelve months ago.

American sprinters have historically thrived in the $2 million Dubai Golden Shaheen, especially in the dirt years, and Mind Your Biscuits looks like a live contender for Chad Summers and Joel Rosario.

3.30 Dubai Turf 1m 1f

Richard Fahey’s Ribchesteris well fancied to be able to cope with the extra furlong he will encounter in this race. Drawn in stall one the four-year-old will need to be on his metal to take this.

Alain Royer-Dupre’s well bred Zarak twice got within touching distance of Almanzor last summer and if he runs up to anywhere near that form then he looks the one to beat.

Deauville is a decent price at 14/1 given that he is a Belmont Derby winner and has Ryan Moore assistance.

4.05 Dubai Sheema Classic 1m 4f

Just seven runners go to post but what an competitive renewal it is. Postponed could become the first repeat winner of the $6 million Classic. He came up a neck shy of Godolphin’s Prize Money when returning on March 4th but he should strip fitter for that run and hopefully will get some better luck in running with a more forceful ride.

Jack Hobbs had an injury-plagued season last year but came back well at the backend of the European season.

Ryan Moore believes Highland Reel is a “hell of a price” at a general 9-2 to win the contest. Moore made all on the Aidan O’Brien-trained five-year-old in the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot last summer and a similar run is expected on Saturday.

4.45 Dubai World Cup 1m 2f

Arrogate has been incredible since his Travers Stakes victory last year, when he set a stakes and track record, and he followed that up with Breeders Cup Classic and Pegasus World Cup victories. A win here would give him victories in races with the first prize of of six, twelve, and ten million dollars. It appears Bob Baffert has another “horse of a lifetime” on his hands. Arrogate will certainly be going off a prohibitive odds so it may pay to look for some forecast and each-way value elasewhere.

Gold Dream won a Grade 1 at Tokyo last month and could outrun his odds under Joao Moreira.

Keen Ice has not won since the Travers in August 2015, but he keeps run into the places, notably in top quality races like the Breeders Cup Classic and the Pegasus and is the type to be running on late.

Mike De Kock’sMubtaahij was unlucky to run into California Chrome in this race last year and he looks like running into one that is just too good again this time around. If Arrogate was to run below par then this is the horse that is most likely to pick up the pieces.

Horse racing is known as the sport of kings, and British races are as iconic and admired abroad as the country's royal family. Uniquely, however, it is also the sport of the people, and racing in the UK is followed and enjoyed across the board, appealing to fans and enthusiasts from all backgrounds. The English Grand National, one of the most famous horse races in the world, is broadcast around the world and is watched by up to 600 million viewers in 140 countries, while horse racing is second only to football as a spectator sport in the UK, generating over £3.7 million for the national economy. Major fixtures such as the Grand National, the Cheltenham Festival and Royal Ascot are inescapable occasions in the social calendar, whether you're attending in person, having a flutter at your local betting shop or online, or just following the races on radio or TV.

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A historic fixture

Horse racing itself has been a fixture of British life since as far back as the Romans. The rules were codified by the Jockey Club, established in 1750, and England has long been recognised for its thoroughbred racehorses: indeed, the classic racing breed is known as an English Thoroughbred as it was first created on these shores.

Newmarket is known as the home of British horseracing, as it was here that King James I began racing horses in the early 17th century. Royal Ascot was founded in the 1700s, and in 1740 a Parliamentary Act was introduced to restrain and prevent the excessive interest in horse racing. This was unsuccessful, and interest continued to grow, as "the turf" became an integral part of the British way of life.

Two main forms of racing dominate in Britain: Flat Racing, in which there are no obstacles on the course, and National Hunt Racing, in which horses jump hurdles and fences during the race. There is also National Hunt Flat Racing, an obstacle-free race that nevertheless follows National Hunt rules. The British Horseracing Authority oversees all of these events, ensuring that all races, jockeys and horses meet the required standards and handling any disciplinary procedures that may arise.

The Grand National

The English Grand National, held every year at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool, is the most famous of all National Hunt races. Held in April every year, it was officially first run in 1839, though the exact beginnings are somewhat shrouded in controversy. This handicap steeplechase consists of two laps around Aintree's left-handed National Course, with a total distance covered of four miles and 514 yards, or 6.907 kilometres.

The course has 16 fences, 14 of which are jumped twice, making a total of 30 hurdles to be overcome. Many of these have become famous in their own right. These include the notorious Becher's Brook, with a 6' 9" drop on the landing side, which jockeys have compared to jumping off the edge of the world. The tallest fence, however, is the Chair at 5' 3" (the actual fence at Becher's Brook is just 4' 10"). Becher's Brook unnerves those approaching due to the drop on the far side being so much greater than the initial jump. With the Chair, the ground on the far side is six inches higher than on the near side, so the effect is of the ground rising up to meet the horse and jockey as they come down.

The Chair and the Water Jump are the only two hurdles that need to be approached just once in the race. Another famous hurdle is the Canal Turn, named for the steep left turn that immediately follows the fence, making it especially difficult to negotiate. As this needs to be jumped twice, it has proved the literal downfall of many horses and their riders.

The Cheltenham Festival

Second only to the Grand National, the Cheltenham Festival in Gloucestershire is particularly popular with Irish stables and racing enthusiasts, and is traditionally held on the week of St Patrick's Day. The four-day event has included at least six races per day since 2005; in 2016, there were 28 races in total. These include the Cheltenham Gold Cup, the Queen Mother Champion Chase, the Champion Hurdle and the World Hurdle. Like the Grand National, Cheltenham is renowned for its unbeatable atmosphere, heralded by the famed “Cheltenham Roar” that greets the first race of the event.

The festival can trace its beginnings back to 1860 when it met at Market Harborough. It was first held in Cheltenham the following year, but usually met at Warwick Racecourse until 1911, when it established a permanent home at Cheltenham. The Top Jockey award is given to the jockey who wins the most races over the course of the four-day festival. In recent years, this award has been dominated by the great Irish jump jockey Ruby Walsh, who first claimed the prize in 2004, then again in 2006, and then almost every year from 2008 to 2016. The exception was in 2012 when the prize went to Walsh's fellow Irishman Barry Geraghty.

Great British racecourses

The Aintree and Cheltenham racecourses are undoubtedly two of the greatest and most historic courses in the UK, but they are not the only notable ones. Ascot Racecourse is home to nine different Group 1 racing events, including the legendary Ascot Gold Cup and the Royal Ascot Festival. This latter event is regularly attended by Her Majesty the Queen, who considers Ascot her favourite racecourse. The late Queen Mother, on the other hand, was said to prefer Sandown Park, which combines history with state-of-the-art facilities for modern horseracing.

Sixty miles outside of London, Goodwood Racecourse is a classic track where style and glamour are encouraged among the spectators and an exciting race is guaranteed. As noted above, the most historic racecourse in Great Britain is Newmarket, where fixtures have been held since the 1600s. Doncaster and York are notable venues in the north of England, while Hamilton Park in Scotland is the home of Scottish Flat Racing.

Riders and runners

The English jockey Lester Piggott is considered one of the greatest flat-racing jockeys of all time. Piggott first won the Epsom Derby in 1954, and eight further wins followed before his retirement in 1985. His reputation is only bettered by the late Sir Gordon Richards, who won a staggering 4,870 races between 1921 and 1954.

Another great British flat-racing jockey of the early 20th century was Steve Donoghue, declared champion jockey ten times between 1914 and 1923. Fred Archer (1857-1886) is still considered the best all-round jockey ever, despite his early death at the age of 29. Today, Frankie Dettori is widely considered the best current flat-racing jockey.

Arguably, the greatest jump jockey is Northern Irishman Tony McCoy, with 4,358 wins to his name between 1992 and 2015, including the 2010 Grand National. He retired in 2015, and Ruby Walsh is currently the leading jump jockey.

Perhaps the most famous racehorse in the world was Red Rum, an unprecedented three times Grand National winner, in 1973, 1974 and 1977. Though bred in Ireland, Red Rum was trained in Southport by Ginger McCain. The thoroughbred steeplechaser became a national celebrity, a status that endured from his retirement in 1978 to his death in 1995. Another iconic British racehorse, Desert Orchid, was never entered for the Grand National, but won 34 of his 70 starts between 1983 and 1991.

The world's greatest steeplechase

The English Grand National at Aintree is renowned as the world's greatest steeplechase. Though other countries have their iconic races, the Grand National is regarded as one of the toughest tests for horse and rider in terms of stamina, courage and skill. The course is so notoriously difficult that just completing it is a major achievement. Many horses fall at one of the 30 hurdles along the way, and the winning horse and jockey are fully deserving of the accolades that come their way.

Horseracing in Britain is also unmistakably a great social event. A day out at any of the major meets is one to remember, with first-class food, drink, hospitality and people-watching all on offer as well as the actual races. Tickets are much sought after, and even the television cameras linger on the great and the good in the stands before the race in question begins.

Although a day at the races isn't cheap, it's open to all, and the ordinary enthusiast may find themselves rubbing shoulders with celebrities and aristocracy. It's important to dress well and to do it in style, but the great English eccentric is as welcome as the impeccably tailored man about town. Visitors to the UK love events such as the Grand National as a way to experience the Great Britain that they've always imagined and hoped to see, as well as a way to see some of the greatest racing that the country, and in fact the world, has to offer.

Limato is favourite for the big race on the final day of Royal Ascot, the Diamond Jubilee Stakes - do our expert panel see him being beaten?

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Winter is the hot favourite for the big race on day four of Royal Ascot, the Coronation Stakes.

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The winner of both the Irish and English 1000 Guineas, the Aidan O'Brien-trained Winter is proving the superstar filly of 2017. 

Find out if our star panel, including top trainer John Gosden and former champion jockey Kieren Fallon think she can complete a big race hat-trick.

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John Gosden trains favourite Laugh Aloud in one of the biggest races on day two of Royal Ascot 2017, the Duke of Cambridge Stakes - and you can hear from the master trainer himself about the horse's chances as he dissects the contest with the rest of our star panel, featuring Tom Segal, John McCririck and Kieren Fallon!

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Our expert Royal Ascot panel of John Gosden, Richard Hannon, Kieren Fallon, Tom Segal and John McCririck discuss the opening race of Royal Ascot 2017, the Queen Anne Stakes.

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Can hot favourite Ribchester get beaten? Or do the panel fancy a runner at bigger prices? 

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Emma Spencer interviews legendary former jockey Kieren Fallon with his thoughts on the Epsom Oaks.

A fantastic four Grande 1s highlight day two of Aintree's Grand National meeting, as well as the Topham Chase over the Grand National fences.

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Find out what 888sport horseracing ambassador and expert Emma Spencer thinks right now!

Remember, we are going FALLER INSURANCE in EVERY race at the Grand National Festival, meaning if your horse falls, unseats or is brought down we'll give you a Free Bet refund up to £25!

Emma Spencer previews day one of Aintree's Grand National meeting, featuring the Betfair Bowl and the Aintree Hurdle.

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Will Buveur D'Air repeat his scintillating Cheltenham Festival Champion Hurdle win in the Aintree Hurdle? And will Cue Card atone for his Cheltenham Gold Cup fall by grabbing glory in the Betfair Bowl?

Find out what 888sport horseracing ambassador and expert Emma Spencer thinks right now!

Remember, we are going FALLER INSURANCE in EVERY race at the Grand National Festival, meaning if your horse falls, unseats or is brought down we'll give you a Free Bet refund up to £25!