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| Staff Writer |
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Last year, UAE’s leading trainer, Seemar completed three decades with the UAE. As Dubai is grown, so has the racing industry, with the Dubai World Cup race night becoming one of the most iconic racing fixtures in the world.
Here the master of Zabeel Stables and five-time UAE Champion Trainer, speaks to Ten Furlongs about the person who inspires him the most, his favourite World Cup night and why he is keen to see more UAE residents become owners:
Q: You have been winning in Dubai for decades, what does winning at Meydan on Dubai World Cup night mean to you now? And what did it mean when you first started?
A: To win a race on World Cup night in the present era, being a local trainer based in Dubai, gives me as a trainer and my team, great pleasure and has a very special meaning as we are competing against the world’s best. Seeing the competition when the Dubai World Cup first started, it seemed an uphill task to have success as the competition has always been of an extremely high level.
Q: You have been a leader in Dubai’s racing community since its Nad Al Sheba days, which was the first World Cup race did you attend? Are there any anecdotes which come to mind from the first race?
A: I attended the inaugural Dubai World Cup. To see the super star of dirt racing Cigar perform and win was a very special moment for myself as it was for any horseman.
Q: Were you there in Dubai when the World Cup had to be postponed due to the horrendous rain? Looking back, what were your concerns and thoughts on that day?
A: Yes, I was present when the rain postponed the World Cup for 7 days. I think only through the vision of HH SH Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai, could we have possibly held the race 7 days later when I clearly remember walking on the track and the water was above the knees!
It was the persistent mind of His Highness that deployed the heavy-duty military helicopters just meters above the track to dry the water out.
For me as a horseman, this is always going to be one of the most memorable moments where the impossible became possible.
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Q: In your own words, “"Like humans, each horse is an individual and that is how they should be treated. You cannot treat them indifferently...each horse has its own personality, likes and dislikes, abilities and limits.” How do you firstly manage to create a special program for each horse, given the size of your stable and in the same way how to do you identify the diamonds early, so that they are polished to the best of their ability?
A: The main key to managing a high-level stable is to have very highly dedicated and experienced staff. Once you have a good team behind you, it makes it easier to create an individual training program for each horse.
Q: You have been driving the movement to get more local residents involved in the racehorse ownership in Dubai. What are the challenges you face?
A: Years ago, when Meydan racecourse was first opened, I watched a 60-minute interview where HH SH Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum was asked why he had built it and who it was for.
He replied, “For everybody in the world to participate in Dubai, especially the expats and locals who live here”.
This conversation left a strong impression on me as well as a challenge that we must realise this dream. Along with my fellow trainers in Dubai, we are doing really well and hopefully this will keep improving as it only makes the racing in the UAE stronger.
Q: Who is your racing leadership hero? And what was the first leadership lesson you learnt from him in your own racing career?
A: His Highness SH Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
In 1993 when I was asked to take the first horse from Dubai to race in the European Classics, I was very green and new to the racing and training business. I very clearly remember His Highness sensed my nervousness and took me aside and told me there was no need to be so nervous, I had his support. Since then I have never looked back.
Q: At the beginning of your career, when you first started racing your horses in the truly iconic races in this world, which one of those first races was your most memorable?
A: The first horse I trained in the UAE I took to the UK and raced in the Guineas winning at York by 15 lengths. This is truly a most memorable part of UAE racing history.
Q: Which is your favourite horse in world and why?
A: That has to be Dubai Millennium. He was one of the most imposing horses ever witnessed to race. Unfortunately, his life was short but he produced Dubawi who has taken the world by storm not only on the track but also in the breeding shed. Dubawi has also produced top racehorses and continues to do so.