Racing: Brown to ride against the best in Dubai challenge

Sydney jockey Corey Brown's Melbourne Cup win has earned him an invitation to ride in Dubai in March.

An international jockeys' challenge will be held on March 5, featuring the winning riders from 11 of the world's premier races.

In addition to the winning jockeys of those races, the Dubai Racing Club will also issue a special invitation to another rider to bring the number to a an even dozen.

"The races we have identified have been won by jockeys that are true masters of their craft and we are very excited about this initiative," said Dubai Racing Club chief executive Frank Gabriel.

"The opening of Meydan will be history in the making and what better way to show that than by having 12 of the world's best riders, who have excelled in the past year, all competing against one another."

After the retirement of Michael Kinane, the rider of Sea The Stars in the English Derby and Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, the English St Leger and Prix Du Jockey Club have been substituted.

The riders are:

Aaron Gryder, winner of the Dubai World Cup on Well Armed.

Ahmed Ajtebi: Dubai Sheema Classic on Eastern Anthem.

Calvin Borel: Kentucky Derby on Mine That Bird.

Norihiro Yokoyama: Japanese Derby on Logi Universe.

Ryan Moore: King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes on Conduit.

John Murtagh: Irish Derby on Fame And Glory.

Corey Brown: Melbourne Cup on Shocking.

Mike Smith: Breeders' Cup Classic on Zenyatta.

Olivier Peslier: Hong Kong Cup on Vision D'Etat.

Ted Durcan: St Leger on Mastery.

Christophe Lemaire: Prix Du Jockey Club on Le Havre.

Meydan board member Malih Lahej Al Basti said the Meydan Masters would be a competition with a difference.

"With racing now being so international, it is difficult to establish a formula for which jockey should represent which country," he said.

"Jockeys now don't necessarily ride full time in their home country. For example, does Frankie Dettori represent Italy, or Darren Beadman and Douglas Whyte, who are so successful in Hong Kong, represent Australia and South Africa respectively?

"With the Meydan Masters, these world-class jockeys will represent themselves against their contemporaries from across the globe."

The Meydan Masters will be held over four support races on the programme that features the recently upgraded Zabeel Mile, run for the first time this year at group two level.

It will close the Dubai carnival and build up to the US$10 million Dubai World Cup on March 27.

- AAP