Nad Al Sheba Racecourse

Last updated
Nad Al Sheba Racecourse
Nad Al Sheba on 1 May 2007.jpg
Nad Al Sheba as seen from the air on 1 May 2007
Location Dubai
Owned byDubai Racing Club
Date opened1986
Date closed2009
Course typeFlat
Notable races Dubai World Cup
Official website

Nad Al Sheba Racecourse was Thoroughbred horse racing facility in Dubai, United Arab Emirates opened in 1986. It had a 2,200 m left-handed dirt race track and a left-handed turf course of the same distance. It operated from November through March and featured the Dubai International Racing Carnival and its Dubai World Cup Night.

Contents

Nad Al Sheba Racecourse was demolished in 2009 following hosting the Dubai World Cup race, being replaced by Meydan Racecourse.

History

Horse racing began in Dubai as early as 1981, and in 1986 Nad Al Sheba Racecourse was formally opened. The course also featured a golf course in the centre. [1]

In 1992, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum formed the Dubai Racing Club to increase the popularity of the sport in the city, and later in 1993 the Dubai Racing Club hosted the inaugural Dubai International Jockeys Challenge at Nad Al Sheba. In 1996, the Dubai World Cup was created with the horses competing for a prize of $4million. This was a significant prize purse for the era. The first Dubai World Cup was won by Cigar. Today the race day is worth a total prize purse in excess of $30million. [2] [3]

In 2000, the Godolphin owned Dubai Millennium won the world cup race with a record time of 1.59.50. [4] In 2001, the Millennium Grandstand was opened. [5] In 2007, it was announced that Meydan Racecourse would replace Nad Al Sheba. For the following two years, the new grandstands were visible under construction. Following the 2009 Dubai World Cup, Nad Al Sheba racecourse was demolished and now sits as part of the Meydan Racecourse facility. [6]

Cigar - the winner of the first Dubai World Cup race at Nad Al Sheba Cigar1.jpg
Cigar - the winner of the first Dubai World Cup race at Nad Al Sheba

The last winner at Nad Al Sheba was Well Armed. [7]

Group 1 Races

Race NameTypeSurfaceDistance
Dubai World Cup FlatDirt1m 2f
Dubai Sheema Classic FlatTurf1m 4f
Dubai Turf FlatTurf1m 194yds
Dubai Golden Shaheen FlatDirt6f

Records

At the time of closure, the following records were held: [8]

Non Racing Events

Nad Al Sheba featured a golf club, which was designed in 1993 by Karl Litten. It was an 18 hole links style course, 6503 yards in length and had a par of 71. [9] The copurse was closed in May 2007 to make way for the Meydan Racecourse development. At the time it had around 1200 members. [10]

Two major concerts took place at Nad Al Sheba. On February 14, 2004 Whitney Houston performed as part of her Prior to Soul Divas Tour. [11] [12] In April 2006, Robbie Williams performed a concert at Nad Al Sheba as part of his Close Encounters World Tour. [13] [14]

Related Research Articles

Dubai World Cup Thoroughbred horse race held annually since 1996 and played at the Meydan Racecourse

The Dubai World Cup is a Thoroughbred horse race held annually since 1996 and contested at the Meydan Racecourse which in Arabic suggests a place where people congregate and compete, a sort of meeting point in the Emirate of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The race is operated through the Emirates Racing Authority (ERA) whose Chairman is Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Presidential Affairs of the United Arab Emirates. It offers nine races, consisting of eight Thoroughbred contests and one Purebred Arabian contest.

Godolphin (racing)

Godolphin is the Maktoum family's private Thoroughbred horseracing stable and was named in honour of the Godolphin Arabian, who came from the desert to become one of the three founding stallions of the modern Thoroughbred. Godolphin is buried at Wandlebury Park in Cambridge, where there is a stone to commemorate this horse in the passageway of the old buildings.

The Dubai Sheema Classic is a Group 1 flat horse race in the United Arab Emirates open to thoroughbreds which are four-years-old or above. It is run over a distance of 2,400 metres on the turf track at Meydan Racecourse, Dubai, and it takes place annually during the Dubai World Cup Night in March.

The Dubai Golden Shaheen is a Group 1 flat horse race in the United Arab Emirates for three-year-old and above thoroughbreds run over a distance of 1,200 metres on the dirt course at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai in late March.

The Dubai Turf, known as Dubai Duty Free 1996 to 2014. is a Group 1 flat horse race in the United Arab Emirates for four-year-old and above thoroughbreds run over a distance of 1,800 metres on the turf at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai during the Dubai World Cup Night in March.

Dubai World Cup Night is a series of eight thoroughbred horse races and one Purebred Arabian race held annually at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. From 1996 through to 2009, the event was held at the Nad Al Sheba Racecourse.

The Godolphin Mile is a Group 2 flat Thoroughbred horse race in the United Arab Emirates for Southern Hemisphere three-year-old horses and Northern Hemisphere four-year-olds. It is contested on dirt over a distance of 1,600 metres at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai.

Meydan Racecourse

Meydan Racecourse is a racecourse in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The grandstand is over a mile in length, and can accommodate over 60,000 spectators.

The UAE Oaks is a flat horse race in the United Arab Emirates for three-year-old thoroughbred fillies run over 1900 metres on dirt at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai in late February or early March.

The 2009 Dubai World Cup was a horse race held at Nad Al Sheba Racecourse on Saturday 28 March 2009. It was the 14th running of the Dubai World Cup. It was the last edition of the Dubai World Cup to be run on dirt at Nad Al Sheba before being switched to the synthetic Tapeta surface at Meydan Racecourse.

2006 Dubai World Cup

The 2006 Dubai World Cup was a horse race held at Nad Al Sheba Racecourse on Saturday 25 March 2006. It was the 11th running of the Dubai World Cup.

2000 Dubai World Cup

The 2000 Dubai World Cup was a horse race held at Nad Al Sheba Racecourse on Saturday 25 March 2000. It was the 5th running of the Dubai World Cup.

The Al Maktoum Challenge, Round 1, is a horse race run over a distance of 1,600 metres in January on dirt at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai. It is the first of three races in the Al Maktoum Challenge series which serve as trial races for the Dubai World Cup.

The Al Maktoum Challenge, Round 2, is a horse race run over a distance of 1,900 metres on dirt in February at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai. It is the second of three races in the Al Maktoum Challenge series which serve as trial races for the Dubai World Cup.

The Al Maktoum Challenge, Round 3, is a horse race run over a distance of 2,000 metres on dirt in March at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai. It is the third of three races in the Al Maktoum Challenge series which serve as trial races for the Dubai World Cup.

The Al Fahidi Fort, is a horse race run over a distance of 1,400 metres on turf in January at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai. The race is named after the oldest existing building in Dubai.

The Al Rashidiya, is a horse race run over a distance of 1,800 metres on turf in late January or early February at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai. The race is named after a locality in Eastern Dubai.

The Zabeel Mile, is a horse race run over a distance of 1,600 metres on turf in late February or early March at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai. The race is named after a locality in Western Dubai. Not related with New Zealand stallion Zabeel.

Cavalryman was a British-bred Thoroughbred racehorse. In eight seasons of racing he won ten times from thirty-nine starts in six countries, namely France, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and Australia. Beginning his career in France he won one race as a juvenile but developed to become one of the best colts of his generation in 2009, winning the Prix Matchem, Grand Prix de Paris and Prix Niel as well as running third in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. After being transferred to the British/Emirati stable of Saeed bin Suroor he failed to win a race for the next two years but recovered his form when switched to competing over extended distances. He won the Grand Cup and Coral Marathon in 2012, the Dubai Gold Cup in 2013 and the Nad Al Sheba Trophy, Princess of Wales's Stakes and Goodwood Cup in 2014 at the age of eight. Cavalryman was fatally injured in a race at Meydan Racecourse in February 2015.

The Nad Al Sheba Trophy, is a horse race run over a distance of 2,810 metres on turf in late February or early March at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai. The race is named after Nad Al Sheba Racecourse which was the principal racing venue in Dubai before it was replaced by Maeydan.

References

  1. ↑ "Galloping Towards Glory". Khaleej Times. 26 March 2022. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  2. ↑ "History of the Dubai World Cup". Bayut. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  3. ↑ "Nad Al Sheba". World Casino Directory. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  4. ↑ "Dubai Millennium". Godolphin. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  5. ↑ "Racing in the UAE". Emirates Racing. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  6. ↑ "The Last Post for Nad Al Sheba". The National. 21 March 2009. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  7. ↑ "Dubai World Cup Sponsored By Emirates Airline (Group 1) (Dirt)". Racing Post. 28 March 2009. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  8. ↑ "Nad Al Sheba Records". Racing Post. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  9. ↑ "Nad al Sheba Golf Club". Golf Pass. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  10. ↑ "Shutdown At Nad Al Sheba". Gulf News. 5 April 2007. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  11. ↑ "Remember how Whitney mesmerised Dubai?". Emirates 247. 12 February 2012. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  12. ↑ "Whitney Houston". setlist.fm. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  13. ↑ "The secret of how Robbie Williams revolutionised Dubai gigs". Time Out. 17 March 2015. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  14. ↑ "Robbie Williams". Concert Archives. Retrieved 18 April 2022.

Coordinates: 25°9′43.02″N55°18′37.82″E / 25.1619500°N 55.3105056°E / 25.1619500; 55.3105056


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.