Galloping Towards Glory

The annual event has put the UAE on the world map for horse racing

The history of horse racing in Dubai can be traced to 1981 when races were first held at the Camel Track in the old Metropolitan Hotel area.

The first three races that ever took place were a sprint, a mile race, and a contest over a mile and a half.

Fast–forward to 1992 and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice- President and Prime Minister of the UAE and the Ruler of Dubai, issued a decree to form the Dubai Racing Club, to help develop the sport in the city. A year later, in March 1993, the Dubai Racing Club hosted the inaugural Dubai International Jockeys’ Challenge (DIJC) where five groups of two jockeys each were invited to compete, with senior riders.

Later that year, Nad Al Sheba Racecourse was built and opened with a lot of fanfare. The picturesque racecourse which came completed with a grandstand and club horse, attracted some of the best jockeys in the world at the time, including the likes of Sir Lester Piggott and Willie Carson. The middle of the racecourse also featured a nine-hole floodlit golf course.

With racing now being under proper rules it would pave the way for the launch of the Dubai World Cup in 1996. The race was created with lofty ambitions by Sheikh Mohammed who envisioned it to become the thoroughbred championships of the world. The prize money on offer was a staggering $4 million, the highest amount ever paid out in the history of the sport. Since then more than $100 million have been awarded to the 25 winners. The Dubai World Cup helped put the UAE on the international sporting map drawing the attention of millions of equine enthusiasts around the globe.

Today, the race meeting, which traditionally takes place on the last Saturday in March and features nine glittering races, is worth $30.5 million and features nine races, consisting of eight Thoroughbred contests and one Purebred Arabian contest.

The 1996 Dubai World Cup was won by Cigar, a champion American thoroughbred racehorse, who defeated fellow American raider Soul of the Matter following an epic battle down the straight. More than 60,000 fans were in attendance to watch history being made.

Since that epic year, the race has been won by some of the sport’s greatest horses including Dubai Millennium, Curlin, Animal Kingdom, California Chrome and Arrogate.

Racing was held at Nad Al Sheba till 209 before it was moved to Meydan Racecourse, a spectacular venue that can host over 60,000 spectators.

Meydan has set the highest standards for luxury and has helped project the UAE’s horseracing scene to a larger international level. Today, the state-of-the-art facility provides first-class hospitality unlike any other in the world while on-course facilities include receiving barns, stables, turf and All-Weather training tracks, and jockey and horsemen’s lounges.

Meydan also stakes a claim to having the world’s first trackside five-star hotel that includes 285 suites offering direct, unobstructed views of the racing action.

Today, a new champion will be crowned.