Dubai Declares Mourning As Sheikh Ahmed Dies At 76
An official 10-day mourning period has been declared across Dubai following the death, on Monday, September 21, 2026, of Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the youngest brother of the emirate's Ruler, HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Sheikh Ahmed was 76.
The Dubai Media Office confirmed Sheikh Ahmed's death and announced the mourning period, noting that he was predeceased by his elder brothers Sheikh Maktoum and Sheikh Hamdan; all four sons of Dubai's former ruler, Sheikh Rashid bin Saaeed Al Maktoum, have owned or bred horses at the top level of international Thoroughbred racing across recent decades, each building a distinct operation of his own.
Though a significant owner and breeder in his own right, Sheikh Ahmed kept a considerably lower profile than Sheikh Mohammed, the founder of Godolphin, and the late Sheikh Hamdan, who established Shadwell. Sheikh Mohammed paid tribute to his brother in a message shared on social media following the news of his passing: “May God have mercy on Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. May God have mercy on you, my brother. You have settled with a Generous and Great Lord. You are absent from our eyes but not from our prayers and hearts, O Ahmed. May God make you dwell in the vast expanses of His Paradise and inspire us and your loved ones with patience and solace. And to God we belong, and to Him we shall return.”
Yellow Silks Behind Decades Of Winners
That quieter public presence never extended to the racecourse. Sheikh Ahmed's yellow silks, marked with black epaulettes, carried Group One winners across four decades, stretching from Wassl's victory in the 1983 Irish 2,000 Guineas through to Saddadd's breakthrough in the Gr.1 Grosser Preis von Baden on September 6, 2026, a span that took in Classic winners, Gulf-based performers and European raiders alike.
This season alone brought a string of significant results for the operation. The Godolphin-bred Quddwah (Kingman) opened the year by winning the Gr.2 Zabeel Mile at Meydan on January 2, 2026, before following up with victory in the Gr.2 Singspiel Stakes and then finishing second to Godolphin's Ombudsman in the Gr.1 Dubai Turf. Quddwah then returned to Europe to claim the Gr.2 Solonoway Stakes at the Irish Champions Festival, his final Group success under Sheikh Ahmed's ownership.
Ed Crisford, who was announced in April 2026 as Sheikh Ahmed's new trainer at the Jebel Ali stables in Dubai, used Newmarket's open weekend on Sunday, September 20, 2026, to outline plans for a further international campaign for the six-year-old. Quddwah is set to be joined at Jebel Ali by the Group Three winner Sallaal and the Listed winner Morshdi, among others, as the string continues to take shape under its new trainer.
Elsewhere, the three-part brothers Almaqam (Lope de Vega) and Saddadd have provided several of the season's other highlights. Almaqam, trained by Ed Walker, won the Gr.1 Tattersalls Gold Cup before finishing second, beaten only a head, by Item (Frankel) in the Gr.1 Juddmonte International. Saddadd, trained by Roger Varian, added the Gr.3 Gordon Richards Stakes to his subsequent Gr.1 Grosser Preis von Baden victory. Their dam, Talmada (Cape Cross), and granddam, Aryaamm (Galileo), also carried Sheikh Ahmed's colours during their own racing careers.
Set against this season's form, the operation's deeper history carries an even higher watermark. Arguably the finest horse ever to wear those distinctive silks was Mtoto (Busted), trained by the late Alec Stewart to back-to-back victories in the Gr.1 Eclipse Stakes and the Gr.1 Prince of Wales's Stakes in 1987 and 1988. Mtoto added the Gr.1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes in 1988, his final campaign, which closed with a narrow second to Tony Bin in the Gr.1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe before his retirement to Aston Upthorpe Stud.
From Sandhurst Cadet To Racing Patron
Away from the racecourse, Sheikh Ahmed's life followed a path shared by few other owners in the sport. The youngest son of Sheikh Rashid bin Saaeed Al Maktoum, he was born on July 12, 1950. He trained at Britain's Royal Military Academy Sandhurst before returning to Dubai to become Commander in Chief of the Central Military Command. He also served as deputy chairman of Dubai Police and Public Security and was group chairman of both ARM Holding and Dubai Real Estate Centre.
It was in 1990 that he developed Jebel Ali racecourse, sited around 35km outside Dubai, establishing the track and stables that would carry his colours, and those of his trainers, for the remainder of his racing life.