Meydan's flagship development signals a confident race ahead

Then take a break from the excitement as the highlight of the season is at the end of March when Meydan hosts the world's richest horse race — the Dubai World Cup.

But long before the horses took over the limelight there were enough thrills and spills en route to the project's completion to compete with the most exciting racing day.

"The whole world is dealing with a challenge just like us in making this dream a reality," states Saeed Humaid Al Tayer, chairman of the Meydan board of directors and CEO.

"Meydan should speak for itself, [and] we're confident about moving forward."

But the redevelopment of the Nad Al Sheba course and the upcoming races are just facets of what is involved in the making of the 200 million square feet Meydan.

"We have 60 partners working with us to ensure its success," adds Al Tayer.

In October 2007, Amlak Finance became one of the partners through acquiring the first phase of the Meydan Business Park for Dh2.6 billion. Now known as Meydan Metroplis, it is one of the four districts within the master development and will feature a mix of upscale residential and commercial elements.

Infrastructure for the Metropolis is complete, the electricity sub-stations are ready and building activity at the individual plots has started.

"The first phase of the Metropolis was sold in 2007, we're re-strategising with new partners," informs Mohammad Nasser Al Khayat, Meydan's commercial director.

 Riviera living

Another district that will be built to an impressive scale is Godolphin Parks (formerly Godolphin River City) housing the signature gateway building, the 40-storey Godolphin Tower.

The building's design allows for a cut in the middle in the shape of a thoroughbred horse's head, with the Godolphin River flowing right through its midst.

A mall provides the anchor to this development, complete with a promenade to enjoy the spoils of life by the water. "The plans are ready and going through design approvals and we'll soon start building," Al Khayat adds.

The water and horse theme extends to the Meydan Horizons (formerly Meydan City) district as well. This will be the location for the Meydan Gateway Towers and Horseshoe Plaza as well as a marina. This part of the development features a predominant residential composition.

Waterways snake through the urban delight, which emphasises healthy living with cycling lanes and pedestrian promenades. The navigable canals neatly link Dubai Creek and the Meydan Boathouse Club at the Meydan Racecourse. When the waters will flow depends on the RTA's marine agency plans.

"The waterway committee works in parallel with all of the developers from the Creek over Business Bay to Meydan to complete the overall connection," says Al Khayat.

As for the Horizons, infrastructure is 80 per cent complete and sub-developers may well start construction by the end of the year. More than 70 per cent of the 140 plots are sold. This leaves only the resort villas of the original masterplan to be accounted for.

Hospitality aspect

"The plans for Meydan Villas are still on track," confirms Al Khayat, "And we have looked to Jumeirah Hotels and Resorts as a service operator for The Meydan Hotel, our 5-star trackside hotel, which will have its soft launch during the racing season."

The Jumeirah Group is already taking reservations for the hotel. Meydan will also go ahead with all its components, despite the global economic downturn having thrown more than a spanner into the wheels.

"Some investors overcommitted themselves and have to raise extra funding to start," Al Khayat states. "It is better to focus on one plot first instead of too many at once to avoid future difficulties."

He explains that the master-developer is carefully vetting all its investors to ensure their commitment to Meydan, although there never can be a 100 per cent guarantee that every single one will be successful. "On the other hand, we can't force people to start, this is a long-term project," he says.

"We need to work together to avoid runaways. Some want to start right now to get their return on investment, others don't." This would not leave Meydan with an open-ended completion date. Al Khayat points out that Meydan is a sizeable phased development, much like the Dubai Marina, which takes 10 years to develop. But he does not envisage Meydan taking quite as long.

"We're in a more conservative cycle right now. However, all developments should become complete more or less at the same time." For now its time to enjoy the creation of Meydan's flagship — the racecourse, the grandstand and the 290-room trackside hotel where 95 per cent of the rooms looks straight over the action.

Here, as the name ‘Meydan' in Arabic suggests, horses and people meet.

Grandstand attraction

For the first time, the start and finish line of the last two races will be right in front of the grandstand. There is a new all weather track and the turf track is extended in length, offering new racing possibilities.

The impressive grandstand, measuring all of 1.6 kilometres when counting the receiving barns and boathouse, can hold up to 60,000 people. Horses will now access the parade ring through a tunnel under the hotel into the parade ring, which can be seen from the restaurant.

The bubble lounge offers track and Dubai skyline views. There are also more than 70 spacious and fully equipped corporate suites that are card entry secured.

Races can be viewed on the world's largest LED panel, and an IMAX cinema, gallery and museum are also integrated into the grandstand. The Falcon Carpark — the ‘bird' can be seen from the air — accommodates around 8,000 cars and another public car park can take on another 5,000 to 10,000 cars.

The crescent roof incorporates titanium and solar panels that generate enough to power 20 per cent of the grandstand.