Top horses, beautiful hats: Fashion Friday set to thrill at Meydan

Fierce competition among some of the world’s top horses is set to make Fashion Friday an unmissable spectacle, according to experts. Beyond the action on the track, a global millinery exhibition and a lively after-party promise to add colour and class to the festivities on Friday, January 23.

On Thursday morning, several of the horses and their trainers took to the track to warm up and get ready for the race. At the heart of the evening on Friday will be an exceptional nine-race card featuring three Group 1 contests. The headline act is the Group 1 Al Maktoum Challenge, which will be a preparation for the Dubai World Cup scheduled to take place on March 28 this year. According to David O’Farrell, Assistant Manager of International Relations at Dubai Racing Club (DRC), it is likely to be a photo finish. 

“There is going to be the defending champion Walk Of Stars,” he said. “Also, there will be Imperial Emperor who has been has stabled by Bupat Seemar. They are up against Heart of Honour who was second in the UAE Derby last year. He is being trained by Jamie Osborne who is representing the UK, so there should be a good clash between those three.”

Seemar, the head of Zabeel Stables, enjoyed major success last season after training Laurel River to victory in the 2024 Dubai World Cup, further underlining the strength of his challenge this year.

Jamie, who has been a regular at the World Cup since 2010 said that he is excited about the races this year. “We have had mixed results but over the last few years, we have been bringing more horses and the Dubai World Cup has become a more important part of our year,” he told Khaleej Times on Thursday morning after overseeing his horses on the track. “This year the carnival is much stronger than previous years and I think there are a lot of good horses. So the races are likely to be extra competitive and harder to win. The Group 1 Al Maktoum Challenge is quite an important race for us and hopefully, we have a good shot at winning it.”

Away from the dirt, the turf programme is equally compelling. Elite international runners will line up for the Group 1 Jebel Hatta while speed specialists will take centre stage in the Group 2 Blue Point Sprint and the Group 3 Al Shindagha Sprint. 

Fashion

Apart from the racing, the spotlight will also be on the fashion and milliner exhibition. A curated millinery exhibition in Concourse 3 will showcase statement headpieces from leading designers, including Bee Smith, Victoria Charles, Kim Fletcher, Evelyn McDermott, Lisa Tan, Sahar Millinery and Sarah Cant. Adding further prestige, acclaimed British milliner Victoria Grant will unveil pieces from her collection, Couture Millinery for the Wild at Heart.

According to Lisa Tan, one of the latest trends has been smaller headpieces that she called ‘airhostess hats’. “It is a trend I saw at the Melbourne Cup where the headpieces are small and sit snugly on the head,” she said. “I am not sure if they have trickled down to the UAE as yet but I love those hats because of how convenient they are when people are hugging each other at the carnival. Generally the etiquette for racing events is smaller hats.”

The milliner who has been making hats for over 15 years said that she is excited to bring her creations to Dubai. “I have a signature technique that I roll with my fingers,” she said. “It ends up in a petal shape and that I then leave to dry.”