A Spectacular Racetrack

The Arab passion for horses is well-known, and Arabian horses are among the oldest and most beautiful pure-breed of horses in the whole world. His Highness, Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Emir of Dubai certainly doesn’t deny the fact. This passion brought him, in 1996, to give form to a visionary project - create a world-class racetrack in the desert of his beloved Emirate. Inaugurated in 2010, Meydan Racecourse is an imposing and innovative structure. Under a spectacular half-moon-shaped roof, covered in solar panels, there is seating for 80.000 spectators with a dirt track stretching 1.750 metres and a grass track which runs 2.400 metres. Every year, Meydan Racecourse hosts the greatest names in international horse-racing with 9 competitions, including the Dubai World Cup, the highest-paying equestrian competition in the world. And while Thunder Snow is the horse that, as of today, can boast of more records than any other at the venue - it was the fastest on the dirt track in 2018 and won two major events in 2019 - the jockey with the most victories is Texan Jerry Bailey.