Cover image courtesy of Horse Racing Dubai
Members of the racing community in Dubai for Super Saturday now face an anxious wait for the airport to reopen in the wake of the American and Israeli attacks on Iran which resulted in the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Racing went ahead at Meydan on a day when the Fairmont hotel on Dubai's Palm Jumeirah caught fire after being hit during an Iranian air attack. The hotel is 25 km from the racetrack. Overnight on Saturday, the Dubai International Airport (DXB), which serves some 250,000 passengers daily, also sustained damage which resulted in injuries to four passengers, according to multiple reports.
Thousands of flights had already been cancelled to and from the UAE on Saturday, with Abu Dhabi's airport and Dubai's Burj Al Arab hotel also being hit by falling debris from missile interceptions.
Sunday's scheduled race meeting for Jebel Ali has been postponed to March 15.
Teetan reveals stressful wait for Hong Kong participants
Hong Kong-based jockey Karis Teetan, trainer Chris So and Hong Kong Jockey Club broadcast staff remain stuck in Dubai. Teetan rode the So-trained Sing Dragon (Written Tycoon) on Saturday night.
Karis Teetan | Image courtesy of the Hong Kong Jockey Club
“Very scary here. We are stuck in the hotel. Missiles are flying everywhere,” Teetan told scmp.com.
“Very scary here (in Dubai). We stuck in the hotel. Missiles are flying everywhere.” - Karis Teetan
Andrew Harding told scmp.com that there are 26 Hong Kong-based participants affected. “We are constantly monitoring the situation,” Harding said.
“We have established communication with everyone there and we’ve taken all their details so we can provide that to relevant authorities. Everything is being put in place to assist them as much as we can. Our thoughts are with Karis, Chris, and our employees and colleagues. They’re in good spirits and they know that if there’s anything they need, we’ll do it for them.
Andrew Harding | Image courtesy of the Hong Kong Jockey Club
“They’re just waiting for the moment that they know they can come back. At the moment, there doesn’t seem to be anything viable and the best advice is for them to stay in their hotels and wait for a further development.”
“At the moment, there doesn’t seem to be anything (transport) viable and the best advice is for them to stay in their hotels and wait for a further development.” - Andrew Harding
Sing Dragon finished eighth in the G3 Mahab Al Shimaal. “It was just the surface, which we all knew was not going to be easy. The Hong Kong dirt surface is faster, and Dubai is quite deep and loose. Unfortunately, we found out the hard way.”
Teetan was scheduled to ride Wodeton (Wootton Bassett {GB}) in Saturday’s G1 Newmarket Handicap for trainer Chris Waller, but this uncertain with the airport in Dubai closed for an unknown amount of time.
European trainers trapped in Dubai
Trainer Jamie Osborne, a regular visitor to Meydan, where he has trained six winners during the current Dubai Racing Carnival, told TDN on Sunday morning, “They've just announced that the airport won't reopen until Monday afternoon at the earliest. I would imagine the reality of it opening then will depend largely on what happens in the next 24 hours.
“There appears to be less airborne action today than there was yesterday. It was kind of surreal yesterday. We were racing and you could see missiles being hit out of the air above us.”
“It was kind of surreal yesterday. We were racing and you could see missiles being hit out of the air above us.” - Jamie Osborne
He said that the horses stabled at Meydan were all unfazed by the activity but added, “There were a few loud bangs quite close to the international stables this morning but the horses are fine. Other than that, you wouldn't necessarily know there was anything going on.
“We'll just have to sit it out. Obviously, there's a backlog of people trying to get out of the country, so I don't know quite how long it's going to take us to do it.”
Jamie Osborne | Image courtesy of Tattersalls
Francis Graffard, who had been at Meydan to oversee Rayevka in the G3 Nad Al Sheba Turf Sprint and has the world's top-rated racehorse Calandagan entered for the Dubai Sheema Classic on March 28, had been due to leave Dubai after Saturday's meeting.
He said, “It's pretty quiet here but we don't know when we will be able to leave. I had looked at taking a flight from Oman, but I think I'll just stay in my hotel in Dubai and wait. The Emirates flights have all been cancelled for tomorrow afternoon.”
Francis Graffard | Image courtesy of Graffard Racing
Bloodstock agent and racing advisor Federico Barberini said that a security alert sent to people's phones during the night had caused some alarm but that the situation had quietened on Sunday morning.
“To be perfectly honest, if I didn't read the news, I wouldn't know that there was anything going on today,” he said.
“Around 1am we had an alert to our phones saying take shelter, so that scared us, obviously. We spent half an hour by the door and then I went to bed and slept with my jeans on and my passport in my pocket.”
“Around 1am we had an alert to our phones saying take shelter, so that scared us... I went to bed and slept with my jeans on and my passport in my pocket.” - Francis Graffard
The horses are safe for now
Dubai's ruler Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum was at Meydan on Saturday to enjoy the 21st victory for his evergreen Rebel's Romance in the G2 Dubai City of Gold and to witness two notable victories for his brother, Sheikh Ahmed.
Anthony Stroud, who works closely with the Godolphin operation, said on Sunday of Sheikh Mohammed's presence at the meeting, “That's the sort of man he is really. I mean, when there are problems to be addressed, he is very much at the fore of it all.
Anthony Stroud | Image courtesy of Goffs
“It has been a bit nerve-wracking, and these missiles keep coming over, but apart from that, we're watching CNN or BBC, and it's okay really.”
Simon Crisford, who, with his son Ed, trained three winners on the Super Saturday card, including the Group 2 winners Quddwah and Meydaan for Sheikh Ahmed, said, “When Sheikh Mohammed goes racing it always makes it more special and it was a great thrill for us to win for Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid as well. I've been connected with him ever since I was at John Dunlop's and we had a horse called Wassl, who won the Irish 2000 Guineas (in 1983).”
He added, “Now we are just waiting for further information. The authorities have been brilliant and they're keeping everyone informed. I don't know when the airport will open but all of the horses seem to be fine and everyone else is fine.”
“I don't know when the airport will open but all of the horses seem to be fine and everyone else is fine.” - Simon Crisford
On Saturday, March 28, Dubai is set to stage one of the world's richest racedays, the Dubai World Cup meeting, which is worth a total of US$30.5 million (AU$43 million).
