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‘Japan have come with absolute rockets’. That was the commentator’s verdict on this year’s Dubai World Cup, as Japanese runners stormed to victory in four of the seven races at one of the most distinguished sports events globally.
Yoshito Yahagi, the trainer behind their success, could not have looked happier as he celebrated beside the Meydan track. His horses are on a hot streak, but domination under racing’s brightest lights must have been sweet.
The taste of victory aside, the legendary Yahagi clearly feels right at home in Dubai – somewhere that has continuously punched above its weight in the global sports industry.
The secret to its success? World class infrastructure and being a global business and transport hub most definitely. But what sometimes goes under the radar is Dubai sport’s quiet authenticity, built on decades of legacy, care, and cultural infusion.
The Dubai World Cup epitomises this, having been launched in 1996 by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, with a vision, now a reality, of creating an unparalleled, festive and world-class racing experience in a global capital that bridges east and west.
In a nod to the UAE’s illustrious history in the sport, the Dubai World Cup features a unique Purebred Arabian contest alongside eight Thoroughbred races, showcasing years of specialised training and handling under the roar of the Meydan crowd.
Yet, when we talk about sporting history in Dubai, it’s not just at the races.
’The Emirates Dubai 7s and Dubai Desert Classic golf major, for example, have also been woven into the city’s cultural fabric since 1970 and 1989 respectively. Indeed, while the HSBC World Rugby Sevens is a global series, the Dubai fixture – the Emirates Dubai 7s – has become a brilliant festival of fun. Quite literally.
100,000 fans from the UAE and across the world are expected to attend the men’s and women’s games this December and there are a number of special guests in the mix too.
Fusing art and performance with sport, something Dubai excels at, stellar names Craig David, Gorgon City, and the Cuban Brothers will all take to the pitch, revving up the crowd throughout three days of action.
Everyone knows the importance of atmosphere in sport, and it can hardly be a coincidence that legendary moments often happen with a unique backdrop (see ‘The Rumble in the Jungle’, Pele’s heroics at the Maracanã, and Nadal finally defeating Federer under the gloom of the Wimbledon sky in 2008).
Mina Rashid Marina, though more conventional than some of Ali’s fight destinations, really does have something magical about it – with shimmering clear blue water and skyline views of Dubai.
This November, the Marina will host the Dubai Sail Grand Prix, bringing together the world’s best sailors and fastest boats to battle it out in front of the city’s thrill seekers.
The brainchild of legendary sailor Russell Coutts and Oracle Founder Larry Ellison, Dubai residents and fans from abroad can take a front row seat to watch twelve fiercely contested races, and then The Final.
If world-class catamaran racing in Dubai’s historic creek is sporting innovation at its best, then the Emirates Golf Club’s (EGC) Dubai Desert Classic best represents the city’s sporting legacy.
Taking place on the Majlis course for the past thirty-three years and now proudly part of the Rolex Series, the Desert Classic is the first European tour event to be staged off European soil, and the first on the Arabian Peninsula. Suitably dubbed the Major of the Middle East, Majlis’ 18-holes were designed in and around the dunes on the edge of the city, playing on Dubai’s unique urban geography.
While the course takes its name from the Arab word for ‘meeting place’, no pro-golfer would ever see it as an easy day out. Majlis’ design throws up a demanding par 72, 7,301-yard layout, shrouded in beautiful but beguiling indigenous flora and fauna.
From the fairways of the EGC to racing and even rugby, the past fifty years show that elite sport in the city is really nothing new.
The foundations for sporting greatness, as it were, have been set and every effort has been made to infuse Dubai’s premier events with a raw cultural appeal, whether through music, some of the most awesome settings on earth, legacy brands, or access to historic local expertise.
Sporting icons and fans alike can therefore be confident that the next fifty years of sport in Dubai will be just as thrilling as the last.
