George Scott to Set Up 20-Box Dubai Base
Eve Lodge Handler Heads South
George Scott, the Newmarket trainer based at Eve Lodge, is set to establish a 20-box training base in Dubai over the winter, expanding his presence in the Middle East. The yard will be located outside the international quarantine stables at Meydan Racecourse, with Scott expecting to be in position from mid-November 2026.
Scott's team has already identified a number of horses to take to the UAE, with further recruits expected via the Tattersalls Horses in Training Sale and private purchases. The Meydan string is likely to feature horses for owner Victorious Forever, including possible Irish Champion Stakes contender Wimbledon Hawkyeye and new yard recruit Saber Strike.
"We are really excited to be stepping up our commitment to racing in Dubai and across the Middle East," Scott said. "It feels like the right time to expand the operation internationally off the back of a series of fruitful winter campaigns in the region."
Scott has built that regional record over several seasons, with West Acre established as a leading sprinter in the Gulf and Isle Of Jura winning the Bahrain Triple Crown before going on to land Scott his first Royal Ascot success later the same year, part of a five-race winning run.
Meydan Team to Chase Wider Circuit
"We're planning to take a team to target racing at all levels across Dubai," Scott said. "The Dubai Racing Club programme offers a huge amount of opportunity for different types of horses," with the yard looking to place horses across the full spread of the Meydan programme.
Scott's Meydan-based string will also target races in neighbouring Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Jebel Ali. Sprinters, stayers and handicap types are all expected to be catered for across those venues, rather than the string being pointed solely at Meydan's own fixture list.
A separate team from the Eve Lodge yard will head to Bahrain as usual over the winter months, meaning the Dubai base adds to rather than replaces Scott's established Gulf commitments. Isle Of Jura's Bahrain Triple Crown success remains the highest-profile result to have come from that existing programme, which will continue to run alongside the new Dubai operation rather than being folded into it. Running the two strings in parallel means Scott's Gulf presence now spans two bases rather than one, with staffing and logistics for each to be organised separately over the winter months.
Recruitment Drive Already Under Way
On strengthening the string, Scott said: "We've already identified a number of horses to take, but we'll also be looking to strengthen the team at Tattersalls Horses in Training Sale and privately." Autumn recruitment is expected to shape the final make-up of the string before the mid-November 2026 target date, with both sale purchases and private deals in play. That leaves scope for the eventual Dubai string to look considerably different in size and composition to the group of horses currently identified.
Wimbledon Hawkyeye is named as a possible Irish Champion Stakes contender ahead of a Dubai assignment, while Saber Strike arrives as a fresh recruit to the yard rather than an established campaigner. Beyond those two, the composition of the Victorious Forever-owned contingent for Meydan has not been detailed further.
The Dubai Racing Club's winter programme runs across several venues and grades, offering entry points for the sprinters, stayers and handicap types that have previously carried Scott's colours to success in the region. Building a dedicated base rather than shipping horses out for individual targets reflects the scale of that opportunity as Scott sees it, with the 20-box yard intended to support a settled string through the winter months rather than horses moving in and out for single engagements.
The Eve Lodge team's own selections and any additions made at the Tattersalls sale are still to be finalised in the coming weeks, with the shape of the string expected to become clearer as the mid-November 2026 start date approaches and recruitment continues alongside preparations for the wider winter campaign.