Now in its eighth edition, The Maktoums: Legends of the Turf is the most comprehensive record of the Dubai Ruling family’s involvement in Thoroughbred racing. Profiling the great champions that have represented the Maktoums, from Ajdal to Zilzal, Legends of the Turf also highlights equestrian history and culture which underscores the Maktoum's deep affection for racing.
The Maktoums Legends of the Turf 7th Edition. Three decades ago the roots of racing’s Maktoum Era were sown. During the Tattersalls October Yearling Sales at Newmarket, the Curragh Bloodstock Agency purchased three lots on behalf of two owners who were new to the sport.
The Maktoums Legends of the Turf (Lord Godolphin to Godolphin of Dubai) 6th Edition marks a key period in the Maktoum’s involvement in the sport. Three key landmarks had been reached in recent times. Dubai’s ruling family had now been involved with Thoroughbred racing for over 25 years.
The Maktoums: Legends of the Turf - 5th edition, is testimonial to a remarkable era in the history of racing. In 1976, a filly passed through the sales ring at Tattersalls, in Newmarket, England. She was purchased by a member of the Ruling family from a little known emirate in the Arabian Gulf.
The Maktoums Legends of the Turf 4th Edition commemorates 25 years of commitment to excellence and sportsmanship and marks a key moment in the Maktoums’ involvement in the sport. A journey that began with the filly Hatta in 1977 was then a 25-year sojourn into the annals of racing history.
On October 15, 1976, a filly passed through the sales ring at Tattersalls, in Newmarket, England. She was purchased by a member of the Ruling family from the little-known sheikhdom of Dubai, in the Arabian Gulf. Nearly a quarter of a century later, the Maktoum family and Dubai are easily identifiable within the sport of horse racing, not only as the sport’s largest investors but as leaders, some of the few capable of bringing racing into the 21st Century as a modern and successful entity.
It has been estimated that the sport of racing world-wide would be smaller by one-quarter without the involvement of the Maktoum family. While one could argue the mathematics of such a claim, the facts are that never, in the history of the turf, has any family, or nucleus of individuals, played such an important role in preserving and developing the status of this sport. The Maktoums: Legends of the Turf is a second look at this extraordinary dynasty.
When a yearling filly by Realm passed through the Newmarket sales ring on 15 October 1976, nobody would have guessed her role in introducing to the sport the most significant individual to participate in racing during the 20th century. The youngster, named Hatta, was sold to the Curragh Bloodstock Agency for 6200 Guineas. She later passed into the care of trainer John Dunlop, running in the colours of Sheikh Mohammed. Dunlop was reportedly pleased with his new charge who broke her maiden third time out.
Endurance. The Sport of Sheikhs (Second Edition) In 680 BC, the Greeks introduced horse-drawn chariot racing into the Ancient Olympics. Run over nine miles in the hippodrome, the event was seen as an astonishing test of stamina for a horse. The Greeks had invented their own version of endurance.
Endurance The Sport of Sheikhs (First Edition) In 680 BC, the Greeks introduced horse-drawn chariot racing into the Ancient Olympics. Run over nine miles in the hippodrome, the event was seen as an astonishing test of stamina for a horse. The Greeks had invented their own version of Endurance.
In less than a decade the Gulf region has undergone something of a cultural metamorphosis. Interest in the Arabian horse, a centuries old icon of the region around the world, has undergone an astonishing revival. And this has been no more apparent than in Qatar where, in addition to a historical role in the day-to-day lives of its people, as elsewhere in the region, the Arabian has a defined place in the ancient and modern history of the emirate.
