Dubai’s history and horse racing intertwined at Newmarket photo exhibition

An exhibition that showcases the development story of Dubai and its horse racing heritage is set to take pride of place at Future Champions Day in Newmarket, England.

A new exhibition at Newmarket traces the history of Dubai and horse racing, and features many top moments in the sport for Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid , Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, leShow more

Newmarket, England // An exhibition that showcases the development story of Dubai and its horse racing heritage is set to take pride of place at Future Champions Day here on Friday night.

The exhibition focuses on how Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, helped bring about not only the transformation in the Emirates, but in Britain, too.

The exhibit may well wing its way to Meydan Racecourse in due course, although discussions are still in place as to whether the exhibition may be broken up and scattered around Dubai.

“We are delighted to be staging the Dubai Exhibition that celebrates Sheikh Mohammed’s contribution to horse racing and Newmarket as a whole,” said Amy Starkey, the regional director of the Jockey Club that owns the racecourse.

Yesterday, 96 school children had a sneak preview of the exhibition.

The 12 and 13 year olds all hailed from the Newmarket Academy and are coming to the end of the inaugural Future Champions Education Week.

This initiative was set up with the help of Dubai, and resulted in the children exploring the possibilities of working in horse racing for the duration of one of Newmarket’s biggest weeks of the year.

The children also visited the sales ring at Tattersalls, where Sheikh Mohammed bought 38 yearlings for £17.5 million (Dh102.3m) last week, as well as the Newmarket equine hospital and the national horse racing museum.

The course culminates in a visit to the racecourse for tonight’s seven-race card, which is sponsored by Dubai. “This is a wonderful time for the town of Newmarket and one that showcases the next generation of talent,” Starkey said.

“From the cream of the yearling crop on sale at the Tattersalls, the students taking part in the inaugural Future Champions Education Week and the best two-year-olds in Europe, this fortnight is all about stars of the future.”

Not surprisingly, Dubai-based owners are well represented.

Sheikh Mohammed's Godolphin operation has nine runners.

Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed and Sheikh Rashid bin Dalmook all represent the Al Maktoum family.

Prominent Dubai businessmen Jaber Abdullah Saeed Manana, Saif Ali and Malih Al Basti, the Emirates Racing Authority board member, also have runners.

Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid’s Estidhkaar is the overwhelming favourite in the Dewhurst Stakes, the centrepiece of the fixture, and the colt looks a potential star for next year.

Estidhkaar cost £200,000 at the sales last August, and although he finished second in his first start in May, he has remained unbeaten since.

He took trainer Richard Hannon by surprise when he won the Group 2 Superlative Stakes in July, because the horse is not a flashy worker at home.

He won the Champagne Stakes at Doncaster last month.

Dawn Approach, Frankel, New Approach and Sir Percy have all used the Dewhurst as a springboard to subsequent Classic success in the past few seasons, and should Estidhkaar prevail, he will be a favourite for the English 2,000 Guineas in May.

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