Reflections on Dubai

Friday night, I was invited to dine with the Kinsale King family, whom I had only recently met. Dr. Sheehy and his family were kind enough to take me along with them on their pre-race celebration in the restaurant in the top of the Burj al Arab Hotel (the one that looks like a sailboat.) Security is so tight, you're not allowed past the guard post without a reservation number (no curious tourists allowed.) The hotel is as mad a thing as you have ever seen in your life.

Burj al Arab. jumeirah.com photo.

If you read my post about the Arabian nights party last week, you'll guess what happened at dinner...fireworks. I have a theory that every meal in Dubai has to contain hummus and fireworks, but it's not very often that you see the fireworks below you (though I did have dinner at Windows on the World on July 4th once, so it wasn't the first time I've seen them from above.)

Dr. Sheehy is an MD from County Cork, Ireland whose profession has enabled him to indulge in his love of horses, a passion of many Irishmen, but I'd wager none are more passionate about it than Dr. Sheehy's family.

The fact that they were kind enough to invite me out knowing that their horse was experiencing discomfort from allergic reactions spoke volumes about their sportsmanship and general goodwill. Carl O'Callaghan stayed behind to make sure Kinsale King was doing well.

A fantastic evening.

Kinsale King. Michael J Marten photo.

Saturday saw more hummus at the breakfast buffet at the Ritz Carlton (no fireworks this time) with Olly Tait. More hummus, and another buffet (there is a buffet at every meal in Dubai) with Bill Nader at the Royal Meridien. No fireworks, again.

Then I headed out to Meydan for my second year at the new racecourse.

A couple of things struck me on the trip out. You hear that construction has come to a halt in Dubai, and you expect to find the city abandoned. I did see a number of buildings on which construction appeared to have stopped, but an equal or greater number that are being worked on.

The hotel I stayed in is in the process of doubling in size, and there's another hotel being built next door on the beach. Yes, there are projects which have stopped, but there is plenty going on.

Just as I saw last year in the hotel, it was filled with a very international clientele, but more than I remember, an amazing amount of Russians. My hotel was a family hotel, a beach property with a great pool, and the number of Russian families was remarkable. I wondered if there were anyone left in Moscow this week.

Driving to the track, I remarked upon the fact that while the same number of people were attending, last year's really bad traffic had been totally alleviated this year, with far more roadways having been constructed.

Thankfully, I had worn comfortable shoes, because I decided to take in the whole experience of the racetrack. I walked from the international officials suite at the top of the stretch to the John Ferguson/Darley executive suite (thank you for the hospitality), which is situated right above the paddock on the sixth level and which provides an amazing view.

Meydan. Horsephotos photo.

Next, I walked the building from the performance stage to the top of the stretch through the apron hospitality/champagne bar. It was wall-to-wall people, sitting on couches, standing around cocktail tables, drinking champagne, beer and wine, having an amazing time out in the most pleasant weather on a beautiful night (with a little sandstorm thrown in for local flavor.)

The Falcon hospitality area was past the wire, toward the hotel. There, I ran into my old friend Harry Herbert, who has been enlisted to help with the hospitality, and his beautiful wife, Chica.

I ran into Princess Haya in the paddock. She was with her daughter, Shaikha al Jaleela Bint Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, who was holding the Dubai flag and a handful of flowers and wearing a decorative yellow dress. All I could think of was how much I missed my little girl who was the same age, and how we are both introducing our daughters to racing (Juliette Weisbord will be at Keeneland Blue Grass weekend.)

I don't think there could be a greater facility anywhere that could accommodate 50 - 60,000 people in the style they do in that building--the food, the hospitality the service, the half-time show, and more.

And of course, there were fireworks at the half-time show, and more fireworks when the races ended.

It is a spectacle that is almost beyond description. I couldn't imagine any place could have been more successful in pulling it off. Tremendously great job.

I ended my day with a ride back to the hotel for a shower and a trip back to the Dubai airport for the famous international flight departures. It is amazing to be in an airport with wall-to-wall people shopping at 1 in the morning--flying anywhere in the world from this international hub.

Aidan O'Brien was on my plane back to Heathrow. I thought it was great that he brought some horses and was thrilled to see them run very well.

I hope there will be a lot more of that in the future. Having him and his owners show up in Dubai can only be good for racing.

-- Barry Weisbord

GOOD...AND GOOD BUSINESS

Since arriving in Dubai, I have encountered a lot of people who want to chat with me, or learn more about the reaction in America to the New York Times story last Friday about horse retirement. Over the course of the past 10 years, I have thought a lot about, and given a lot of time to this issue, specifically to raise money for the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, the charity that was called into question in the article. I have given my time because I think their work is necessary. I think that their prison programs have been an incredibly compelling story, and have been very good news for the racing industry. Not only has it created good feelings about thoroughbred racing, but it has been a model of what good racing can do, particularly when the sport is under attack. I have always felt that these programs separated them from the pack of other rescue organizations--all of which do good and important work. Additionally, my publishing partner, Sue Finley, served on the board for 12 years, and I knew it was important to her and I wanted to support her.

TRF Retiree The Optimist, (c) trfinc.org

Over the past week, the issue has gone from something that it was nice to participate in as individuals, to something we need to do something about as a sport.

If we don't, I believe our entire industry is in jeopardy. I don't think we can trust that the positive attributes of Thoroughbred racing (whatever that means to each of us as individuals) will always be able to overcome the question that will be posed to our most prominent participants as they head for the Derby, run in the Breeders' Cup or maybe accept an Emmy. That question is: "Hey, you love Thoroughbred racing. Why does the industry allow its participants to be killed?"

In today's world of instant communication, I don't think we have the ability of controlling the message without solving the problem.

It has now become a mandatory thing if we want to stay in business.

--Barry Weisbord

Arabian Nights

Last night, I boarded the bus at the Royal Meridien to go to Sheikh Mohammed's desert party, and drew the good straw. The front of the bus was filled with an international congregation of folks I didn't know, so, eyeing another group in the back, I headed to the back of the bus to take my seat in the kids' section. I was soon lucky enough to discover the kids' section was made up of this year's Flying Start graduating class.

Each year, I give a dinner to the Flying Starters during their first year in the course (which is quickly approaching on Bluegrass weekend), but this year, I got to double my yearly Flying Start pleasure, spending what could have been a fairly tedious hour-long ride out to the party arena engaged, instead, in a very spirited discussion with a group of very engaging, very talented young people who are hoping to make our Thoroughbred world their professional world. There were a lot of questions and discussion on just about any and every topic you could think about.

They invited me to continue the discussion, and sit at the kids' table during dinner.

(c) Horsephotos

(c) Horsephotos

For those of you who haven't been, the annual Dubai World Cup desert party has morphed from a celebration of the Arab bedouin culture, done in tents with guests sitting on pillows and indigenous rugs and eating favorite dishes--lamb, chicken, hummus and kabobs that are often referred to as Lebanese cuisine in America--and a display of Arabian horsemanship, Arabian dancing (men only) and music. It has now grown into a party held in an egg-shaped permanent ampitheater with 10 tiers encircling the performance area. Each tier has tables which, while low, no longer have you seated on the ground, but which are complete with pillows and permanent tables. It has the same feel as the rustic tradition, but everyone now has a good view and a great seat. Beer and wine are served, along with a buffet of the native cuisine, delivered at the top of the amphitheater in each section. The evening starts off with skydivers coming down in the night, landing precisely on the right spot in the performance area, and carrying flags of the countries represented in the weekend of racing.

(c) Horsephotos

The party is attended by Sheikh Mohammed and his entourage, who weave their way through the crowd. There is a display of amazing horsemanship and stunt riding, dancing horses, horses jumping through fire, horses with their bodies lit up like electronic light shows in the night.

And, of course, the performance has to end with fireworks--as everything seems to in Dubai. When the fireworks come out, everyone freezes to watch them, guests and workers alike. We think of them as an American Fourth of July tradition, but of course, they have a great following in many cultures, this one among them.

Gio Ponti - (c) Horsephotos

Other sights and sounds: I spent a few minutes with Christophe Clement where Lee and Ramona Bass and children were enjoying the festivities for the first time. Who is more enthuiastic about being a racehorse owner than Ramona Bass? Maybe her son. Having been an enthusiastic financial backer of Gio Ponti against Zenyatta and thinking I was a winner at the eighth pole, and then seeing him bravely cut back in distance only to run into Goldikova on one of the greatest afternoons a horse could have, I would love to see Gio Ponti run great. Maybe Saturday will be his day.

--Barry Weisbord