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And off they go at Dubai's Nad Al Sheba race track

Nad Al Sheba has grown to become a top-class venue for world-renowned horse racing events in Dubai.

  • By Alice Johnson, Staff Reporter
  • Published: 00:43 May 9, 2008
  • Gulf News

  • The Nad Al Sheba race track has grown to become one of the best horse racing facilities in the world.
  • Image Credit: Supplied photo
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Dubai: From its humble beginnings as a horse training track in the 1980s, the Nad Al Sheba race track has grown to become one of the best horse racing facilities in the world, as demonstrated by the ever popular Dubai World Cup, one of the biggest events on Dubai's calendar.

The track was originally just a sand course used for training. Under instructions of the late Shaikh Maktoum Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Nad Al Sheba track was laid down in 1986.

Two years later, in 1988, the Maktoum Grandstand was built. Several years later, in 1991, the existing track was constructed and in 1992 the first official race meeting took place.

Floodlights were added for night riding during the 1992-1993 season and an additional grass track was added in the 1993-1994 season. It was at this time that the original Maktoum Grandstand had its second level added, with further refurbishments in 1999 and 2000.

The Millennium Grandstand that now houses up to 50,000 race-goers, was officially opened for the 2001 World Cup.

Yasir Mabrouk, Head of the Arabic Department at Dubai Racing Club, has been working at Nad Al Sheba since 1991. The first official race season he was part of, was the November 1992 season.

"The race course and club has grown unbelievably. Visitors are a mixture of Arabic people and expatriates, all sitting together. The facilities are very professional," he said.

One of several major events held at the track is the International Jockey Championship, which began in March 1993. The competition ran for two years, in March 1993 and 1994, and was a team event with competitors from the Americas, Europe, the UAE, Malaysia and Japan, he said.

Terry Spargo, Head of Telecasting at Dubai Racing Club, has been working at Nad Al Sheba since 2000.

"Initially the course was opened just for entertainment, but as time went by it became fully professional. It was around this time that the Emirates Racing Association was formed, which is now the Emirates Racing Authority," he said.

Apart from the globally-renowned Dubai World Cup, Nad Al Sheba is also home to the Dubai International Racing Carnival.

Approximately 200 horses from all over the world are invited to to the ten meetings of the carnival that take place from January until just before the World Cup. Prize money at the carnival runs to $10 million (Dh36.7 million).

"The aim of many horses," Spargo says, "is to rise through the ranks at the Dubai International Racing Carnival, to race on World Cup Night. It's almost like a summer school for the horses."

The future

Nad Al Sheba's firm groundings in the world's horse racing calendar are to be brought to the forefront with the construction of Meydan.

This landmark development is the vision of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

It will span 76 million square feet and feature state-of-the-art dirt and turf tracks, while the accompanying grandstand will have a capacity of about 60,000.

There will also be a 10,000-space car park, hotel, marina development and golf course. Other features include a 4km canal that will run from Dubai Creek to the racecourse, a museum, and it will be the new location for the Godolphin Gallery.

Meydan will be constructed on the current Nad Al Sheba site, with a target opening date of 2010.

Starting points: Different tracks

The left-handed Nad Al Sheba dirt track has a length of 2,254 metres and is 20 metres wide. It has three chutes to accommodate starting points for races scheduled over 2,000 metres, 1,600 metres and 1,200 metres. The 1,200 metres chute provides a straight course for races over a distance of 1,000 to 1,200 metres. The surface is made up of a mixture of fine dune sand, silt and clay and 3 inches of "cushions" are harrowed up daily for training and racing alike. It is routinely harrowed, watered and graded to ensure the going remains constant.

The turf track is also left-handed and is 2,121 metres in circumference and 20 metres wide. It has three chutes to accommodate starting points for races scheduled over 2,000 metres, 1,600 metres and 1,200 metres. The 1,200 metres chute is mainly used to start 2,800-3,200 metres races.

The grass is a Bermuda hybrid and is planted in local sand termed "sweet soil".

It was top-dressed with an inch of peat moss in the summer of 1997 and again in 1998.

The grass is kept at 6 inches during the racing season and is over-sown with rye in the autumn. It rides consistently well.

Source: Emirates Racing Association

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