Dubai: How the iconic Meydan prepares for big races

At 6 o’clock in the morning at the Meydan Racecourse, the air is serene and peaceful. The morning is quiet, save for the sounds of hooves, slowly rising than fading with each turn of a horse trudging along the tracks.

After each loop, a tractor follows in the near distance to level the sand where the horses’ powerful legs have been galloping moments earlier. Mohamed Abbas Youssef, racecourse facility manager, explained that the goal is to close the gaps in the dirt made by the horses’ hooves. This makes it easier for the horse to use its full speed without any obstacles.

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The viewing area to watch the horses is modest, enough to fit around two dozen people. Normally, the deck is reserved for VIP, but on this occasion was open for onlookers to see the horses up close in action. From this distance, the horses’ heavy breathing can be clearly heard, its sound similar to that of a person.

Early start

Horse trainer Julio Olascoaja begins his workday at the Meydan racetracks at 2:45 am, an hour before the first group of horses arrives. His job is to make sure the horses are fit enough for a race. That means getting them to exercise well, making sure their feed is of high quality, and conducting physical checks to assess if the horse is ready for a race.

At the moment, there are 35 horses at the stables, and Olascoaja has to divide them into five lots, or groups. The horses come to the tracks every single day, and they have one day off. They usually have a day dedicated to high intensity “fast work” every 7 or 10 days. This is where Olascoaja and other trainers assess if the horses are ready to race.

Training ends at around 8:00 or 8:30 so the  horses are not exposed to the overbearing heat and humidity. Other international horses are also sharing the stables with the local Meydan ones for the Dubai Racing Carnival, so some time must be given for them to train during different hours.

“We start slowly conditioning the horses. Then we have some horses that come from overseas, they come from different countries, from Europe, America, South America, and those horses normally come ready and we just do maintenance work here when they arrive,” he explained.

The season for horse racing at Meydan, specifically for the Dubai Racing Carnival, spans from November to March, during relatively cooler months. Training the horses, however, happens well in advance, in early July, Olascoaja said.

Hind Aldah

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hind@khaleejtimes.com

Hind Aldah covers business, tech, crypto and all that jazz for a younger audience. In her spare time, you will find her playing classical guitar, painting amateur oil paintings, or crocheting the same old scarf that leads nowhere.