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A thriller in the offing

DUBAI - Races return to Jebel Ali with a promising excitement on and off the track at the Yellow Racecourse on Friday.

The second event, Al Aweer Meeting, will also mark the celebrations of the Eid Al Adha at the outskirts of the city with plenty of surprises in store.

The popular racecourse will kick off another busy weekend racing afternoon thanks to the faithful and sincere support of Shaikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and UAE Minister of Finance, Sharief Al Halawani, director of the hilly track, told newsmen on Thursday.

With the meeting taking place while the racegoers are celebrating the holy occasion of Eid Al Adha, there will be a special programme for the kids at the backyard of the Grand Stand with plenty of shows to keep the younger fans amused throughout the afternoon.

“There will be no shortage of entertainment to amuse the expectedly big crowd,” said Al Halawani, manager of the Jebel Ali racecourse.

“More than 20,000 gifts will be distributed to the spectators at the entry gates, in addition to 120 mobile phones and electronic items that can be won against free coupons which will be distributed with the pick-six forms,” Halawani confirmed promising a fun day for all. Mirza Al Sayegh, director of the Office of Shaikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, said their partnership with Jebel is going from strength to strength and is setting high standards for the racing industry within the UAE.

“Shadwell is going to sponsor the entire six races of the afternoon. We are directed by Shaikh Hamdan to provide each and every support for Jebel Ali Racecourse as part of our strategy to promote Dubai races,” he said.

“Our third meet, Zabeel Race, is going to be very special welcome to our partners and to our faithful fans. The day’s showcase event will run at 3,30pm the Dh120,000 Shadwell Sprint (Conditions), a six furlong contest that has attracted a very competitive field of nine runners,” Al Sayegh added.

Al Halawani urged racegoers to cooperate with the racecourse management. “The safety of the children as well as the horses and jockeys is of great importance for us. We request people to keep the place clean and follow the rules while enjoying their family day-out,” he said. The best turned out horses competition for the six races is sponsored by the Dubai International Arabian Horseracing Centre. The groom of each winner will receive Dh1,000 except for the feature race which carries a prizemoney of Dh2,000. The popular pick-six and double-cast competitions are worth Dh63,000 in prizemoney.

hisham@khaleejtimes.com