Cover image courtesy of Michael Costa Racing
It’s been almost a year to the day since Michael Costa, keen and accomplished, learned he was moving to Dubai. In February 2022, he was head-hunted to be the exclusive trainer for the ARM Racing operation of HRH Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and in July he relocated to the Gulf.
It was a role that was both exciting and unnerving, rebuilding the Sheikh’s Dubai string and restoring the yellow silks to their former glory. It involved travelling the world on the yearling circuits, selecting new stock and drawing on the stable’s Newmarket reserves.
In Dubai, there was an initial string of about 60 horses to contend with, not to mention a staff number of 73. Costa was departing the Gold Coast with, at times, an afternoon crew of just six.
“When I was there recently,” he told TDN AusNZ this time last year, “there were 40 or so horses walking around the barn, and for the afternoon shift there were around 28 staff on. It’s a little different, to say the least.”
Costa was taking over the helm from French trainer Nicholas Bachalard, who had held the role since 2019. The contract was for three years, with an option to extend.
When we caught up with the young trainer in 2022, everything about his new job was shiny, new and unknown. Costa knew about the responsibilities ahead and he knew it would be a high-pressure job, but the rest would only be learned when he moved in.
And so, in July last year, he and his family, which includes his wife Melanie and now four children, flew to their new surrounds at Jebel Ali racecourse. The kids joined a school and everyone settled in ahead of the Dubai racing season, which runs from late October to the end of March.
Michael Costa pictured with one of his children in the stables | Image courtesy of Michael Costa Racing
“It’s been really great,” Costa said, speaking to TDN AusNZ this week. “We always knew we were going to walk into some challenges, and there have definitely been some that have come up in this first season.
“I guess overall, the biggest thing that held us up initially were the unknowns, walking into what sort of staff we’d have and what sort of horses, and also the facilities.”
In Dubai, Jebel Ali racecourse is one of the five tracks in operation in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The Sheikh built it in 1990, supposedly to the right-handed style of Epsom racecourse, and it’s a broad, expansive place that is well-equipped.
“Jebel Ali is like training in paradise,” Costa said. “We’ve got a 600-acre block and it’s really only seven minutes to the coastline, so when you’re in the stables, with all the trees and the greenery, it doesn’t feel like you’re in the middle of the desert. It feels like you’re closer to the middle of Newmarket.”
“Jebel Ali is like training in paradise... when you’re in the stables, with all the trees and the greenery, it doesn’t feel like you’re in the middle of the desert. It feels like you’re closer to the middle of Newmarket.” - Michael Costa
When it came to the staff, Costa took a pragmatic approach to getting to know people. He’s always been an affable, well-mannered fellow, so adjusting to new faces wasn’t an issue. Perhaps adjusting to new faces that had years of someone else’s routine was a different thing, but the local welcome has been flawless.
“They are some of the best work-riders I’ve ever seen in the world,” he said. “They are so dedicated and they were so welcoming, which was a huge help to me learning about everything. And that also helped as we made a few tweaks along the way.”
So that left just Costa’s concerns about the horses.
Winner, Mersaal, a member of the Michael Costa Racing stables | Image courtesy of Michael Costa Racing
“In the very initial stages, we rehomed and retired a number of horses,” he said. “The bulk of the season was then all about getting the greatness out of each of the horses we had in the barn, and then we’d be looking to rebuild stock from the yearling sales. That was the main goal for us in the first year.”
Costa went to the major Keeneland and Tattersalls yearling sales in 2022.
“We went to Keeneland in September and bought 10 lovely yearlings,” he said. “We went to Tattersalls in October and bought a number from there as well, so the future is really bright for the horses that we’ve got coming into the yard.”
Life in the Gulf
Given that Costa has been in Dubai since only July, making it just six months on the job, it’s been a lot of change in his life in a great big hurry.
His fourth child was born in Dubai shortly after the family’s arrival, but one thing that did help things along was that he brought his Gold Coast employee, Amos Milss, to the Gulf with him.
“I had the opportunity to bring people up from Australia, but I didn’t know what I was walking into so I thought it unfair to relocate anyone at that point,” Costa said. “I also didn’t want to make changes to the Dubai team until I had met everyone and got an understanding of what I had, so I only brought Amos with me.”
Milss used to run the office and human resources side of Costa Racing on the Gold Coast. He’s been very vital to the trainer’s management of the staff numbers in Dubai, which also includes stable staff and racecourse staff overall.
“Amos was with me for a long time on the Gold Coast, so to come over here and have our own complete facility, we’ve both been blessed and we’re extremely grateful,” Costa said.
A lot of the other factors that come with such a relocation have clicked into place for the young trainer. The Dubai climate isn’t really an issue for him, as much thanks to his Greek roots as his Gold Coast roots.
“It’s really hot but I cope with it really well,” he said. “And the whole city is built for it, as are the stables. The air-conditioning in the barns is immaculate, and the horses do surprisingly well, considering how hot it is.”
“It’s really hot but I cope with it really well. And the whole city is built for it, as are the stables. The air-conditioning in the barns is immaculate, and the horses do surprisingly well, considering how hot it is.” - Michael Costa
When local racing wraps up at the end of March, the barn will quieten down and Costa will begin travelling.
He’s coming to Sydney to the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, and then on to the United States to the breeze-up sales. It means that during the height of the Middle Eastern summer, he’ll be out and about, rebuilding stock.
“Even though the season is around five-and-a-half months, it goes so quickly,” he said. “We’ve got about nine weeks of it left right now, and you blink and it’s pretty much over.”
Early success
The ARM Racing operation has been around a long time. Sheikh Ahmed has campaigned such horses at Mtoto (GB) in the 1980s and Tobougg (Ire), who was a Group 1 winner in Ireland and France.
More recently, the yellow silks with the black epaulettes were carried by the very good Addeybb (Ire), that globetrotting son of Pivotal (GB) whose clashes with Verry Elleegant (NZ) (Zed {NZ}) made him famous with Australian audiences.
Addeybb (GB) beating Verry Elleegant (NZ)
Costa’s appointment was an effort by the Sheikh to resuscitate his racing brand internationally, and it was bound to come with levels of expectation. Has the young trainer felt that pressure during his time in Dubai?
“It’s not stressful,” Costa said. “I definitely put pressure on myself. I’ve got that burning desire to get results, so there’s pressure but it’s just the pressure to want to do great things for His Highness. He’s selected me to come and take the role, so I want to succeed to return that faith, so it’s an internal pressure rather than external.”
“I definitely put pressure on myself. I’ve got that burning desire to get results, so there’s pressure but it’s just the pressure to want to do great things for His Highness.” - Michael Costa
Early doors, one of the highlights for Costa has been the stable winners and results.
“The stable and the staff had lost a little bit of confidence,” he said. “So on the first race meeting here, when we got the double, coming back into the stable all the staff were clapping and celebrating. It meant a lot to them, and probably that’s been the greatest thing for me since arriving here, seeing the staff with a bit of a spring in their step.”
In a short few months, the Costa-led yard had banked more winners than it had managed in a few previous seasons. Winners included the likes of Mouheeb (USA), a son of Flatter (USA), who won the Shadwell Cup at Jebel Ali and the Listed Al Garhoud Spint, and Mersaal (SdA) (Mirror Black {Ire}). On the December evening that Mouheeb won his stakes race, Costa had a raceday treble.
Mouheeb was a first carnival stakes winner for Costa in the Emirates, and more winners have come. They included in early January the 4-year-old Uncle Mo (USA) gelding Nibraas (USA), who won the Riviera By Azizi H. on the big stage at Meydan.
Nibraas (USA) pictured with the Michael Costa (blue tie) and Jean Van Overmeire (yellow silks) | Image courtesy of Michael Costa Racing
Additionally, Costa took possession in October of the 5-year-old mare Carolina Reaper (NZ), who was a winner last year of the G3 Easter H. in New Zealand. The mare promises plenty, but her career in the Gulf has been stalled by quarantine and other issues.
“She came over and had one start, but she had a bit of an issue after that,” Costa said. “So she’s in a bit of a holding pattern right now. But we also got her a bit late. We had a quarantine issue that meant she arrived later than we were expecting, which hasn’t kicked her off too well.
“But she’s a nice mare. If it doesn’t come together for her now, we’ll have all the time in the world to get her ready for next season.”
Taking stock of the sirelines
Before his exit to the Gulf, Costa was a deft hand in Australian bloodstock circles. But one of the interesting elements of his new job is getting to know the pedigrees that turn Dubai racing over.
Like anywhere, there is a plethora of sirelines on show, including the likes of Munnings (USA), Flatter and Mehmas (Ire), and no doubt it’s been an interesting exercise for Costa getting to know them, and getting to know what works.
“It’s certainly a case of Liquorice All-Sorts here,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of American stallions, and a lot of the English stallions as well. There’s a good mix, though not a lot of Southern Hemisphere horses at all. We did have one Lonhro that was retired this season, but the rest are Northern Hemisphere lines.”
“It’s certainly a case of Liquorice All-Sorts here. We’ve got a lot of American stallions, and a lot of the English stallions as well. There’s a good mix, though not a lot of Southern Hemisphere horses at all.” - Michael Costa
Costa said that anywhere between 70 and 80 per cent of the local stock are by American dirt horses, and the remainder are by turf sires.
“But there’s no rule really to what horses will handle the dirt,” he said. “Exceed And Excels, Dubawis and such, they all seem to thrive on the dirt too. So we’ll come down to Easter and maybe pick up an Exceed And Excel and a Justify to bring back here.”
By most accounts, Costa has made a winning start to his Dubai tenure. He made a winning exit from Australia too, his very last runner going out a Doomben winner.
There’s a lot more to be done in the desert before he can lower any of the pressure he’s put on himself, but even he’d have to admit it’s been a good start.
