Talks between the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain aim to make the Gulf take a more coordinated approach to horseracing in the region.
The initial set of talks will take place between the UAE’s Dubai Racing Club, the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain’s Rashid Equestrian & Horse Racing Club, UAE state news agency WAM reported on Monday night.
“We are in the preliminary stages of these talks which will initially take place between Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE but we are laying the foundations for a Gulf-wide cooperation that will benefit all of us and, we hope, the racing world at large, offering summer and winter racing in the Middle East,” said Prince Bandar bin Khalid Al Faisal, Chairman of the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia.
“With an increasingly attractive racing offering already taking place across the region, we decided as a group that it was time to focus on ways to open up our racing to each other while simultaneously making it more attractive for internationals to come here, facilitating the progression of racing standards across the entire region.
The initial set of talks will take place between the UAE’s Dubai Racing Club, the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain’s Rashid Equestrian & Horse Racing Club.
Said Shaikh Isa bin Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Chairman of Bahrain’s Rashid Equestrian and Horse Racing Club High Committee said “Whilst discussions may be at an early stage, the scale of opportunity gives us reason to be optimistic.”
Sheikh Rashid bin Dalmook Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Racing Club, said: “This will contribute to delivering the aspirations and desires of all involved parties within the racing industry, including owners, jockeys and trainers, creating a new roadmap to overcoming obstacles and facilitating progress.”
“This is a welcome step that will be promoted globally through the international races hosted by the UAE, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Kingdom of Bahrain and will continue to fuel the rapid growth we have seen in the industry at a regional level,” he said.
The Dubai World Cup is among the richest horseraces in the world, often topping the list in a given year. In 2019 a $12 million purse was up for grabs, compared to the famed Kentucky Derby’s $3 million. But as of 2020, the Saudi Cup, with its $20 million purse, took the top spot. The Bahrain International Trophy offers a purse of GBP500,000.
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