DUBAI, March 31 (Xinhua) -- Benbatl, a British thoroughbred of the Dubai ruling family Al-Maktoum's private thoroughbred horseracing stable Godolphin, finished the 7th race of the Dubai World Cup on Saturday evening at a time of one minute and 46.02 seconds.

Victorious jockey Oisin Murphy said, "in previous races I struggled to find my rhythm, but today found my rhythm." Emirati trainer Saeed Bin Suroor noted that "the preparation for this race already went very well, and consequently the race today went well." United Arab Emirates (UAE) Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohamed Bin Rashi Al-Maktoum congratulated Murphy and Bin Suroor personally.

Japanese horses Vivlos and Real Steel finished second and third as Benbatl left 14 rivals behind.

The six-million-dollar 1,800 meter race on turf was sponsored by Dubai Ports (DP) World, the world third biggest container port operator in relation to assets.

The 23rd edition of the annually held Dubai World Cup is the world's richest horse races, composed of nine races held on Dubai's Meydan Racecourse.