Dubai: Frank Gabriel Jr, the well-liked Dubai Racing Club’s Executive Director of Racing, has resigned from his position and will be returning to his home to Florida.
Having first arrived in the UAE in 2005 to take up the role of CEO at DRC, Gabriel quit in 2014 to join the New York Racing Association as Racing Secretary.
However, he would resign that position and return later in the same year to Dubai, to assume the role of Vice President of Racing for DRC, He would then move to the position he occupied until his recent retirement.
Gabriel, 65, issued a brief statement saying: “After 15 years with the Dubai Racing Club, I have resigned from my position as executive director of racing.
“I have thoroughly appreciated my experience and would like to thank His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, (Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE) for the opportunity (to) do so.
“A special gratitude to all the staff I have worked with over the years who made our team-driven goals achievable at DRC. I will be returning to the US with my wife Christine to enjoy our time and our home in Bonita Springs, Florida.”
Racing fans in the UAE and around the world will also remember Christine Gabriel as a very popular figure on race days, where she hosted interviews and helped in the announcements.
Gabriel was highly admired for his extraordinary work ethic and charisma. He played a key role in the successful transition of racing from Nad Al Sheba to the iconic Meydan Racecourse in 2010.
Prior to that, and alongside overseeing racing operations, he helped develop the Dubai International Racing Carnival, which began in 2004.
Gabriel has a rich history in racing and racecourse management having previously worked at Arlington International Racecourse, at NYRA in 1998-99, and at other American racetracks, primarily in Florida and the northeast.
He has also been very active in international racing circles and has been a key a member of the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities, serving on that body’s International Grading and Race Planning Advisory Committee.