Emirates Racing Authority

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES -- It has been a circuitous first three decades of life for Pat Comerford, from big city Melbourne to Alice Springs smack dab in the middle of Australia and from studying in Central Missouri to New Zealand to the bright lights of Dubai. At age 28, Comerford is set to call his first Dubai World Cup meeting, having cut his teeth on the mic in the Northern Territories almost by accident. Called up into a similar role at the Singapore Turf Club--a job that has proved...

Royal Ascot and Dubai Carnival winners feature among 48 lots set to be offered by Godolphin at the 2024 Emirates Racing Authority (ERA) Racing in Dubai Sale, which will be staged at Meydan Racecourse on Tuesday, March 26, four days before the Dubai World Cup meeting. Godolphin have sold over 450 horses at the ERA Racing in Dubai Sale since it was introduced in December 2015. They include the former Charlie Appleby trainee North America (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), who later won at the top level for Satish Seemar having been...

Friday marks the first edition of the Festive Friday card at Meydan, featuring two group races, three listed races and AED4.5 million in prize-money across the nine-race stand. Returning to the scene of his 2023 G2 Godolphin Mile victory is Isolate (Mark Valeski), who will step out in the AED1-million G2 Al Maktoum Mile for trainer Doug Watson. Tyler Gaffalione will fly in for the race from the States. "That was a great day and he's moving better this year than he did last year," said trainer Doug Watson, who...

The tracks of the Emirates Racing Association (ERA) will stage a total of 61 meetings in 2023-2024 after the fixture list was given the stamp of approval by His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of the Presidential Court and Chairman of the ERA. The racing season in the Emirates begins Oct. 28 at Al Ain Racecourse and continues the following day at Sharjah Longines Racecourse. Jebel Ali Racecourse will open its doors for the first time on Nov. 4, and racing at...

The first edition of the ERA Racing 'Oscars' Awards will be held at Caesars Palace Dubai, Bluewaters Island, on Sunday, Oct. 23. Beginning at 6 p.m. local time, the invitation only event will recognise Champion Jockey, Tadhg O'Shea, Champion Trainer, Bhupat Seemar, Champion Owner, Khalid Khalifa Al Nabooda, Champion Apprentice, Saif Al Balushi, as well as several other yet-to-be-revealed winners. There will also be the Pat Smullen Award for Ride of the Season, as well as the Rising Star Award, which will recognize the achievements and hard work of a...

Western Writer (Ire) (Shamardal) (lot 42) stole the show at the Emirates Racing Authority Racing in Dubai Sale on Saturday, bringing AED1.8 million (£429,849/€490,499/$490,129) from Athbah Racing. A dual winner, the 3-year-old gelding counts G2 Park Hill S. heroine Echoes In Eternity (Ire) (Spinning World) as his second dam. Second on the leader board at the end of the day, was lot 27, Thundersquall (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}). One of six purchased outright by Satish Seemar, the placed gelding brought AED600,000. His dam is the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas and G1...

The Racing in Dubai September Sale, conducted by the Emirates Racing Authority in conjunction with Tattersalls, will be held on Sept. 17. Held at the Meydan quarantine facility at NOFA Stables, the sale will start at 6:45 p.m. local time. All horses will be available for viewing on Sept. 15 and 16 from 8-10 a.m. and again from 4-6 p.m. each day. Sheikh Rashid bin Dalmook Al Maktoum, Vice Chairman of the Emirates Racing Authority said, "We are delighted to offer some exceptional bloodstock for the current ownership base, and...

Trainer Satish Seemar has had his license temporarily suspended by the Emirates Racing Authority Stewards due to circumstances surrounding his association with owner Ramzan Kadyrov. Kadyrov, the Head of the Chechen Republic, was added to the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office Of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)'s list for his record of serious human rights abuses in 2017. Seemar, who trained the 2018 G1 Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3 victor North America (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) for Kadyrov, was put on the list due to his connection with Kadyrov on Dec....

South African Alistair Cohen has been appointed English language racecaller for the 2021/22 racing season in the United Arab Emirates. Thirty-year-old Cohen has been calling races for more than a decade in his native country, including the South African Triple Crown and Triple Tiara series'. He has also called races at Musselburgh Racecourse in Scotland. Cohen will commentate at all five ERA racetracks: Meydan, Jebel Ali, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Al Ain. His calls will also be used on Dubai Racing Channel and the international feed. Commenting on the appointment,...

The winning 4-year-old colt Telemaque (War Front--Treasure Trail, by Pulpit) (lot 38) topped the Emirates Racing Authority Racing in Dubai September Sale on Saturday. He was knocked down for AED825,000 to Satish Seemar of Zabeel Stables after being previously campaigned by Godolphin and Andre Fabre. Another that went to Seemar was the day's second highest price-Royal Mews (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}), a 4-year-old gelding. Out of Queen Arabella (GB) (Medicean {GB}), lot 37 brought AED520,000 and won once at three. Rounding out the top three horses from the 41-strong sale was...

Dubai World Cup Day will now be worth $30.5 million, and the Dubai World Cup Carnival has also received a prizemoney boost, the Dubai Racing Club announced on Tuesday. The 2021-2022 racing season begins Nov. 4, and total purse money on offer throughout the season has been increased to over $40 million. Every race on the Mar. 26 Dubai World Cup card will be worth at least $1 million, while Super Saturday on Mar. 5 has had its prizemoney increased to over $2.2 million. The prizemoney for the G1 Al...

Trainer Mujeeb Rahman, based at Sharjah in the UAE, has been banned two years by Emirates Racing Authority stewards after a horse in his care returned a positive test for Stanozolol, an anabolic steroid. The Rahman-trained Storyboard (Medaglia d'Oro) came on stewards' radar last May when, during an inspection of Rahman's stable medical records, it was discovered the then 6-year-old gelding had been treated with intra-articular injections to both front fetlocks within five days of racing-rules state that the minimum withdrawal period is eight days. Rahman was fined AED10,000 for...