Jebel Ali Racecourse is set to usher in the ‘concept racing’ experience when the iconic venue hosts its first meeting of the 2023-2024 UAE racing season on Saturday.
One of the oldest and most popular of the five racecourses in the UAE the new Jebel Ali management is keen to encourage and support change going forward.
Mohamed Al Ahmed, General Manager of the three-decade-old venue, is hoping to use innovation to grow the sport of horseracing.
“We have decided to make this place more environment friendly,” Al Ahmed told Khaleej Times. “This racecourse has for long been considered to be one of the best in the region and we are determined to maintain the high standards and improve further
“When I came I was thinking what can we do moving forward After discussions with the higher-level management one of the things we came up with was to create the horseman’s garden where everyone can enjoy the racing.
“Then we started to program what we needed to do in terms of entertainment for the fans, the public and that’s when we came up with the idea of concepts,” he added.
“Every race meeting for the season, and we have 11 this term, will have a different entertainment concept keeping the racegoers in mind.
“We also looked at what kind of races can we host and have even been working on changing some of the names of the races during the season,” said Al Ahmed.
“Our aim is not just to improve the horsemanship but to bring change and a new look, if necessary, to every area of our racecourse.
“We are extremely delighted to partner with the Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival which is helping us to boost Purebred Arabian racing,” he said.
“Jebel Ali used to host four to five Arabinan race meetings each season we now have 11, one for every meeting thanks to our new partnership with the Festival.
“We have also welcomed Porsche and Audi as strategic partners. As you can see we are really excited about the new season and what is in store for all our horsemen and patrons.”
Saturday’s seven-race card gets underway at 1:45 pm with the Wathba Stallions Cup, a maiden race of 1,400 metres for four-year-old and older Purebred Arabians.
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The remaining six races of the afternoon are for thoroughbreds, with all the Season Opening Cup sponsored by long-term partners Shadwell, being the highlight of the day.
For UAE champion trainer Doug Watson and Ahmad bin Harmash supply half of the 12-horse field where the Salem bin Ghadayer-trainer Desert Angel is the top-rated horse.