Horse riding is clearly in the blood. Sheikh Mohammed won gold medal in September’s Endurance World Championship, and now his niece has received a silver at the Asian Games.
the Sheikha Latifa Al Maktoum-led team finished second in the showjumping competition yesterday
via The National – Sheikha Latifa leads UAE to second silver.
One of the things that sealed the deal for us to agree to moving Dubai, was their love of sports. And horse racing is one of the more preferred sports. The weekend just gone was the Dubai World Cup – the $10M horse race – apparently the richest race in the world. Incidentally I thought the ‘Race that stops the nation’ – the Melbourne Cup had that title. We didn’t attend this year’s world cup, but it was hard to miss. The sports section of the paper was 12 pages, with 8 or so devoted to the event. It was hosted for the first time at the magnificent Meydan facility. I’ve only seen images on TV and in the papers, but I’m sure you’d have to see it to believe it.
Myles enjoyed marking off the horses that would win. Unfortunately we lost his picks, it would have been interesting to see his results. Besides since we couldn’t have a flutter on the event it didn’t seem the same. Myles’s criteria was the horse had to be Australian or American, and the owner had to be a Sheikh. I’m sure he would have more success with that system than I would have trying to follow their form, using statistical probability, and their odds.
Maybe next year. Although we seem to be saying that so much lately, 2011 may be overwhelming.
Another story on the excesses of the rich and famous. This one by Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan from Abu Dhabi. It’s alleged he flew thirty riders and their horses to give a private performance.
Billionaire Sheikh Pays £250,000 For Household Cavalry To Fly To Abu Dhabi – Born Rich
“It looks like the horses are going to get better treatment than we will”
