Dubai: Mirza Al Sayegh, a keen racing administrator and chairman of the Shadwell Stud, has profusely praised the support Jebel Ali Racecourse has received from its Pillar Partners during the 2018-2019 UAE Racing Season.
As the history-making racecourse gets ready to host its penultimate meeting of the season this Friday, Al Sayegh particularly acclaimed the role played by Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance, the racecourse’s key sponsor for over two decades.
Al Sayegh, who is the Director of Shaikh Hamdan’s Office, said Shaikh Hamdan deserves high praise for his generous efforts to raise the standard of racing, and the facilities available at Jebel Ali Racecourse year after year.
He said working together by sharing ideas with Mohammad Saeed Al Shehi, Racing Manager at Jebel Ali Racecourse, and Engineer Shareef Al Halawani have helped chart a new course for the sport in the UAE.
“This cooperation has deepened our understanding of how to grow the sport of horse racing at Jebel Ali and has also strengthened the friendship with all our partners,” said Al Sayegh.
“Shaikh Hamdan sees it as a great honour and privilege to be able to assist the Jebel Ali team to be innovative and further develop horse racing at the unique venue.
“Jebel Ali Racecourse has also been good to Shaikh Hamdan, whose horses have done very well at the track. The track at Jebel Ali is not just challenging but is also similar to many famous venues in the UK and Europe and as such serves as an ideal venue to prep horses for major races during the season,” he added.
“It has been another marvellous year of racing at Jebel Ali and although we are close to the finale we can only think of returning here once again for the next season to continue what we started years ago with the support of Shaikh Hamdan.
Jebel Ali Racecourse and its in-house stables, which were created by Major General Shaikh Ahmad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Chief of Dubai Police and Public Security, in 1990, has become one of the most-loved family racecourses in the world, noted Al Sayegh.
“Racing at Jebel Ali has its distinct flavour, it’s very unique,” he said. “The racing happens very close — you could almost touch the horses as they race in front of you — which makes for very exciting viewing.
“Me myself, I look forward to attending the races every fortnight and see the event as a good opportunity to entertain a host of friends and associates of Shaikh Hamdan.”
