By Sara Habbouch
As the countdown’s last few remaining seconds trickle away, adrenaline is rising and concentration intensifying. By the ringing of the bell, the cages are set loose, and the winds released onto the tracks. Hooves striking the ground so hard it shakes, shouts so loud they can hardly be controlled, until time stops at the last stretch, and the victorious nose is pronounced champion.
Doesn’t that give you the chills? Imagine being part of these few moments where in a matter of seconds, life itself has massively risen before settling back into calmness. Welcome to the world of horse-racing.
I would like to think of horse-racing as being a grand fashion show. Splendid Thoroughbreds have proven to be the ‘models’ of catwalks, spreading over a few thousand metres, or furlongs to be exact. Their well-built figure and long legs make them the finest candidates for the winner’s circle. These warm blooded supermodels are pampered to the tail, and their handling can be described as nothing short of the royal treatment. Literally! Immense amounts of money are spent by a select and wealthy few on these modelling athletes, as the prizes to be gained can sometimes be unimaginable.
Although considered as a sport for English Thoroughbreds, many horse races have recently concentrated exclusively on the Arabian breed. As few know, however, the breed of English Thoroughbreds originated with three distinct horses. Breaking down the pedigree, we discover that two of the horses accountable for this success are in fact Darley and Godolphin, both of which hail from none other than Arab origins.
From all time, Arab individuals have had a resilient presence in horse-racing; they have created stables like Godolphin and Thoroughbred Corp. operating from the Middle East as well as European countries and the USA. These stables have focused their attention on Arab and international breeding, as well as professional racing.
Royal families such as the Al Maktoums from the United Arab Emirates or the bin Salman bin Abdulaziz family from Saudi Arabia are no strangers to the tracks. They have bred international Group I champions with outstanding dedication. Horses like Daylami, the proud winner of 7 consecutive Group I races, Point Given, now retired and voted Horse of the Year in 2001, as well as Dubai Millennium, one of the few horses in history with a 140 time form and a single defeat to its belt, proudly carry career earnings that number in millions of dollars. Arab owners are also responsible for the creation of major races: the Dubai World Cup is one of the most famous, worldwide, its prize of six million dollars making it the largest purse in the world.
“To my brothers and me, it is more than a hobby. Our love for horses runs in our blood. They have been intimately related to our traditions for centuries, even millenniums”, says Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, expressing the legacy and lineage of this sport as well as its importance in Arab culture. This Arab devotion to these majestic creatures gives the expression ‘Sport of Kings’ a whole new meaning.
