Dubai: A circus can be mesmerizing, disappointing, thrilling, dull and even scary. But given the right mind set? One would be crazy to leave with anything but a big smile. In this context it is important to state that every year, over and above all the elements that go into making it a memorable race day, the Dubai World Cup is actually a search for spirit.
This phenomenon has been playing itself out ever since the world's richest race meeting made its debut at the historical grounds of Nad Al Sheba in 1996.
Dubai served notice of that spirit as hosts and Cigar, the best race horse in the world, won the feature race, the Dubai World Cup, by displaying its own character in finishing eye-ball-to-eye-ball with Soul of the Matter who exhibited immense fortitude while finishing second. The seeds of history had been sown that day through this memorable battle and Dubai was propelled into the limelight in the sport of horse racing.
That was 15 years ago. The hallowed sands of Nad Al Sheba have now given birth to a new arena aptly named Meydan. Not content with history repeating itself Dubai walked a step further, in the face of all odds, to create history once again with a venue of amazing size and proportions, designated to drive horse racing into the future. Among everything that Dubai means to the world it is also keen to offer a glimpse into the prospect and with that Nad Al Sheba was consigned to history with honour.
Meydan is now a year old. A familiar energy begins to buzz around the venue as the Dubai World Cup approaches. It is that age-old spirit that everyone begins to exude — none more so than Saeed Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and CEO of Meydan.
Having given the world a taste of Meydan last year, Al Tayer is motoring ahead with fresh plans and promises of what it could potentially develop to become. The blueprint for that future manifests itself when one steps into his office and glances out of the window to size up the magnitude of the project.
"When we said last year that Meydan was going to take horse racing into the future it was a genuine statement," Al Tayer told Gulf News. "It was for the world to witness the launch of Meydan. Since then I have stayed in touch and communicated with trainers, owners and talked to the international community as well as business people and the local fraternity and gauged their views which is unanimous in praise.
Magnificent project
"What is very nice about the whole thing is that every time we get a new visitor, or an old one, they stand still and say what a magnificent project it is. Mind you, sometimes they use expressions that perhaps I cannot use in this interview but Meydan has a mystique about it, a wow factor. So I think that this project can be benchmarked by humbly stating that other venues have the opportunity to make their claims — they boast of their racing and traditions which is over centuries old — but what is so good about Meydan is that before we commenced building it we engaged all these people for their views. So what we see is a result of that combined thinking."
This means, in a sense, that while there are certain racing venues soaked in history there are others that are built to create history, Meydan being among them. "Nad Al Sheba has its own history," offered Al Tayer rightly.
The venue that gave birth to Meydan recorded many epic and memorable racing moments following its official establishment in March 1992. "It is well documented," added Al Tayer. "It had champions and a special atmosphere to it. Meydan came from there. It is futuristic and so modern that it takes the requirements of other existing racecourses to ensure that whatever components they lack they need to examine them and put it together."
New paths
This is exactly how Meydan will find its way: by forging new paths. It is meant to go on, to showcase the spirit of horse racing and the forward thinking philosophy of Dubai as envisioned by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. The Dubai World Cup is a celebration of that will, ensuring that the world turns its focus on the emirate for one day to assess what it is capable of.
"We always need to re-examine our strategies," stated Al Tayer. "The masterplan of Meydan has many components. We have promoted this project heavily since the last World Cup as a result we have more partners on board. The key now is the sustainability, adaptability and flexibility of the project. We are reaching out to newer markets — China for instance — with our racing expertise like stabling, training, pedigree, setting up infrastructure and breeding."
The view from Al Tayer's window offers more than just a glimpse of Meydan as it unveils itself, with all its various facets, around Nad Al Sheba. It offers a vision into what lies beyond: a significant transformation in the sport of horse racing.
