It has always made me happy to hear about a sportsman reaching a personal milestone weather it is a golfer, tennis player, boxer of cricketer.
I invariably get pretty chuffed like I was when I saw Etijaah bringing up the 700th UAE winner for Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance, at Al Ain Racecourse on Friday.
I couldn’t restrain myself from cheering, just as I did when the brilliant Taghrooda won the Oaks, King George and when Mukhadram landed the Eclipse.
All of these wins featured in a vintage racing year in 2014 which culminated in Shaikh Hamdan being conferred with a prestigious Cartier Award for his enormous contribution to the sport. He was also recently honoured by the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders Association (ITBA) at their annual racing and breeding awards when he was inducted into it’s Hall of Fame.
Throughout his association with the sport of flat racing Shaikh Hamdan has ensured that his horses are given top priority, so I believe that it must been an even more rewarding experience for him to reach a personal milestone in the UAE.
I have had the pleasure of meeting Shaikh Hamdan on a couple of occasions and of experiencing, first hand, his knowledge and passion for the sport. It was especially interesting to watch him personally interact with everyone who engaged in a discussion with him.
I believe that it is extremely rare to see a patron of sport so unaffectedly committed and dedicated to something that is so close to his heart. What really caught my attention was to observe just how he used his stately position to spur interest or to change perceptions.
Shaikh Hamdan has enjoyed numerous successes as an owner and breeder for the best part of 40 years through his Shadwell Racing empire and we can only hope that he continues to be rewarded for his passion.
Who can forget what a fantastic year 2014 for Shaikh Hamdan whose homebred filly Taghrooda supplied him with a 12th Classic victory in the Oaks (G1) at Epsom before going on to upstage the boys and her elders in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (G1) at Ascot.
Then there were significant other successes by Mukhadram in the Eclipse as well Tarfasha in the Blandford Stakes, Mustajeeb in the Jersey Stakes and the Group 2 win by promising juveniles Estidhkaar and Muhaarar.
I believe retired handler John Dunlop, who famously saddled Erhaab to win the Epsom Derby in 1994, summed it up best when he paid tribute to Shaikh Hamdan by saying: “Newmarket has become his second home in many ways. When the results go the wrong way, he has always been marvellously philosophical.”
Win or lose Shaikh Hamdan remains steadfast in his commitment to supporting horse racing around the world and in the UAE.
