Dubai: In the summer of 1988, three men met at an office in London, to discuss plans on how to create a new racecourse and stable in Dubai. Their goal was simple: to build a race track that would be unique and also have its own racing stable.
Twenty years later, the plans laid down by Khalifa Bin Dasmal, Ali Khamis Al Jafleh and Dhruba Selvaratnam on that significant afternoon, have resulted in the Jebel Ali Racecourse which is widely acknowledged to be the most popular racing venue in the UAE .
During the 20 years there have been several highlights at the "yellow racecourse" which is backed by the passion, enthusiasm and support of its creator Major General Shaikh Ahmad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Chief of Dubai Police and Public Security.
Gulf News, together with Selvaratnam, who has been the resident trainer at Jebel Ali Stables since its inception, revisited the epic moments that have evolved over the years at this historical sporting venue.
"Firstly I would like to congratulate Shaikh Ahmad on this 20th Anniversary and to thank him for giving horse racing in the UAE such a wonderful racecourse," he said. "He has been extremely supportive over the years and it is only through his encouragement that we have been able to develop Jebel Ali Racecourse into the success story that it is today.
"It's been 22 long years since construction first began at Jebel Ali but I can still vividly remember the days when the work first started to build the track on what was basically two sand dunes," Selvaratnam said. "The hilly nature of these two sand dunes came to Shaikh Ahmad's attention when he was out horseback riding in 1988 and he wanted to incorporate their characteristic into the track."
"The track is unique in this part of the world and the sand/oil combination surface was something I discovered when I was visiting my father when he trained in Kuwait. It handles the heat well and the oil gives the sand that much more substance. A lot of people ask about the steep uphill finish; that was something I was very keen on as I knew it would suit my horses because of the way I train.
"A lot of trainers from other stables bring their horses to Jebel Ali to work them ahead of major races. It's a track that can bring a horse on and test his fitness."
Selvaratnam also highlighted the roles played by several horse enthusiasts in helping Shaikh Ahmad's vision come to fruition at Jebel Ali.
"I have been very fortunate to have been involved in the project from the start," he said, "Few people get the opportunity to train such good horses in such a wonderful setting.
"But I also have a lot of people to thank. People like Bill Mather, one of the pioneers of horse racing in the UAE, Khalifa Bin Dasmal, Ali Khamis Al Jafleh, Pat Buckley. Paddy Crotty, Yasir Mabrouk, who is still with the Emirates Racing Authority, Colonel Hussai and the late Sami Abbas. All of them helped make dreams become a reality and I have to sincerely thank them for that," Selvaratnam added.
"I have to say a big thank you to the whole team at Central Military Command who were such a big help in getting the work done so quickly. Shaikh Ahmad was in charge of them and their efforts were invaluable.
"Sharjah's Shaikh Abdullah Bin Majid Al Qasimi was also one of our original stewarding team and he a great inspiration as well.
"It has also been a real team effort with my brothers Gopi and Karthi and all the staff we employ over here, and mind you many of them have been here even before I arrived in the UAE," Selvaratnam pointed out. "We've also been fortunate to have some of the best jockey's in the world ride for Shaikh Ahmad — jockeys like Sir Lester Piggott, Willie Supple, Johnny Murtagh, Kieren Fallon, Peter Brette, Brett Doyle.
"Together, there have been so many highlights. I saddled 67 winners in a season, and my stable jockey Willie Supple still holds the UAE record for the most wins in a season (75). We have won all three Listed races at the track with horses like Azhar, Faltaat and Shebl and also the Dubai Golden Shaheen in 1999 with Ramp And Rave.
The very first race at Jebel Ali was for Purebred Arabians and won by El Ramaha trained by Jameel Salman.
The ERA was not formed until later in 1992 and the first ERA-regulated meeting was held at the track in November 1992.
