Ali Al Ali, CEO & Board Member of Dubai Racing Club on horse racing, breeding and Dubai becoming an epicenter of the sports.

Can you share with us the elite races like the Dubai World Cup shape global markets in breeding, sponsorship, and even tourism at large?

If you look back at the history of the Dubai World Cup meeting, which started in 1996, you can immediately see the impact it has had on shaping the Thoroughbred breed, in particular. Singspiel, Street Cry and Dubai Millennium are just three winners of the G1 Dubai World Cup who have gone on to be hugely successful sires and that is before we include the successful stallions who also won the Dubai Turf, Longines Dubai Sheema Classic and Dubai Golden Shaheen.

In terms of sponsorship, we are very proud of our partnerships with several of the world’s biggest international companies. Emirates Airline has been with us since the very start and we are also supported by Longines, Azizi Developments, DP World, Al Tayer Motors, Emaar, Nakheel, Jumeirah and Zabeel Feed. These associations strengthen our brand positioning, global awareness and level of prestige.

Since inception, The Dubai World Cup has become one of the most iconic events in the city, but it is also preceded by five months of superb international racing in the Dubai Racing Carnival, which runs from November through March. That brings thousands of visitors to Dubai who will contribute, directly and indirectly, to the economy. In addition, the Dubai World Cup is broadcast to millions around the world, showcasing not only a spectacular day of racing but also Dubai as a dynamic and forward-thinking destination, a must-visit for both business and tourism.

How is Dubai positioning itself as the epicenter of elite racing especially that many other cities are vying for such a crown?

Dubai Racing Club was founded in 1992 by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and immediately the vision was to become an international horseracing hub. Since then, horses trained in more than 20 countries have competed at the Dubai Racing Carnival and, in 2024 alone, winners at the Dubai World Cup meeting came from five different countries. Although many other countries in the Middle East have since joined us on this international journey, we are finding that more and more trainers are basing their horses in Dubai for the winter months, taking advantage of our perfect climate, central geographical position, five-star training facilities and equestrian expertise. Over the last two years, horses based at Meydan Racecourse have been successful in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Qatar, before leaving for successful summer campaigns in Europe, the Far East and the USA. We continue to build upon our strengths year on year, looking for ways to improve and innovate across the board.

Why Dubai’s Racing Culture Matters to the Global Economy and how does this intersect with business growth at large?

When trainers, jockeys, owners and fans visit Dubai for the Dubai Racing Carnival and Dubai World Cup they don’t just come for the racing, they are of course drawn here for all that the city has to offer and take time to enjoy the huge variety of hospitality and entertainment options – thus contributing to the local economy. They also play an important role in promoting Dubai as a destination to others back home, who will in turn use it as a base for vacations and business. Additionally, equestrianism is a huge part of the culture in the region, and Dubai Racing Club supports multiple equestrian disciplines, from horseracing to showjumping and endurance – with thousands of employees and huge logistical operations and events that run throughout the year.

Originally a desert, yet now Dubai has transformed into some of the world’s leading horsetracks, can you walk us through this evolution?

We are proud of our desert origins, as it was in the sands of the region that today’s Thoroughbred breed began. As we all know, Dubai is an incredible fast-paced and transformative city – always looking to the future. As the city has developed, so has the horseracing industry that exists here. In 2010 Meydan Racecourse, a state-of-the-art, 60,000 capacity stadium, opened to the public. Since they we have continued to invest, making it one of the best racing and training facilities in the world, with dirt, turf and All-weather tracks, plus shaded walking and trotting rings, equine swimming pools and air-conditioned stables. We understand that to be the world’s leading horseracing hub we must evolve all our offerings to provide the best to our stakeholders and to support the industry on a global scale.

How do you see the future of breeding and horseracing in the region in the medium-term future?

Horseracing in the UAE is in an exciting place. Due to the hard work of our team, we have seen a huge 20% increase in attendances throughout the 2024-25 Dubai Racing Carnival, as we embody the vision of making Meydan Racecourse the number one sporting and social destination in the region. We will not stop there, however, and plan to embrace technology to further enhance the fan experience, bringing racegoers closer to the action and to help them understand the nuances of the sport. In doing so, we can continue to grow horseracing, not just here in Dubai but for the whole world.