Newbury: The 37th edition of the Dubai International Arabian Races (DIAR), the longest running sponsorship of Purebred Arabian racing the world, came in for high praise after it once again captured the imagination of thousands of racegoers at Newbury Racecourse in the UK on Sunday.
The race meeting, which was created in 1981 by Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance, to help raise the profile of Arabian racing, once again ticked all the right boxes.
“We couldn’t be more pleased with the success we’ve hard with our annual race meet dedicated to the Purebred Arabian,” said Mirza Al Sayegh, Director of Shaikh Hamdan’s Office and the chairman of the DIAR Organising Committee.
“The weather wasn’t the best, but regardless we saw more than 6,000 people come here today to enjoy the racing, and the Emirati hospitality, that has become part and parcel of the DIAR.
“Of course none of this would have been possible without the untiring support that we have had from Shaikh Hamdan, who is one of the biggest patrons of the Arabian horse — both the athlete and the show horse,” he said.
“I believe this is the longest standing sponsorship of Purebred Racing anywhere in the world. That is an achievement that we are proud of and once again, thanks to Shaikh Hamdan, the Arabian Racing Organisation, Newbury Racecourse, horse owners from around the world, the jockeys, who are great ambassadors of the sport, and last but not the least, the fans who turn up each year.
“We look forward to coming back to Newbury in July next year.”
