Almoe AV Systems has installed more than 4,500 Electro-Voice speakers in Dubai’s Meydan Racecourse and Hotel complex. Meydan City is the latest large-scale showcase project in the Arab Emirate of Dubai, and features a marina, five-star hotel complex, IMAX cinema and the Meydan Racecourse.

The Meydan racecourse is capable of accommodating more than 60,000 spectators at a time.  The construction required a huge audio-installation, including more than 4,500 Electro-Voice loudspeakers, fully redundant CobraNet infrastructure using the N8000 NetMax Digital Matrix Controllers and CPS multi-channel amps.

Dubai master developer Meydan will help build a $4bn ‘equine culture city’, according to the terms of a joint venture agreement signed on Wednesday.

The firm, which completed the world’s largest racecourse in the emirate earlier this year, will tie up with International Equine Group (IEG), itself made up a consortium of Meydan, Malaysia’s Teo A Khing Design Consultants and an agribusiness entity owned by the Chinese government.

The new consortium – called Hua Zhi Jie Horse Industries – will develop the Tianjin Equine Culture City, a 3.3m square metre site located in the north-eastern Chinese city.

The project will feature racetracks, training tracks and stables, as well as other equine facilities.

Hua Zhi Jie is hoping to stage a flat-racing event at the site “not dissimilar to the scale of the Dubai World Cup” as early as 2012.

“Meydan’s success since its launch and its continued growth potential makes it an excellent model to replicate in a burgeoning economy such as China’s,” said Saeed Humaid Al Tayer, chairman and CEO of Meydan.

“It is a significant partnership and we are very bullish about the growth prospects presented there. We hope to lend our expertise and extensive experience in positioning horse racing, so that it not only promotes the sport, but supports its related industries and provides viable economic returns to the people of China.”

In a statement, Meydan said that the potential for the horse-racing industry in China was considerable, especially given the direct economic impact of the sector on the economies of the US, the UK and Australia. The developer said that the industry was worth $39bn in the US alone. Meydan to help build Chinese ‘equine city’

Dubai developer signs JV deal to drive race industry development

Dubai master developer Meydan will help build a new ‘equine culture city’, according to the terms of a joint venture agreement signed on Wednesday.

The firm, which completed the world’s largest racecourse in the emirate earlier this year, will tie up with International Equine Group (IEG), itself made up a consortium of Meydan, Malaysia’s Teo A Khing Design Consultants and an agribusiness entity owned by the Chinese government.

The new consortium – called Hua Zhi Jie Horse Industries – will develop the Tianjin Equine Culture City, a 3.3m square metre site located in the north-eastern Chinese city.

The project will feature racetracks, training tracks and stables, as well as other equine facilities.

Hua Zhi Jie is hoping to stage a flat-racing event at the site “not dissimilar to the scale of the Dubai World Cup” as early as 2012.

“Meydan’s success since its launch and its continued growth potential makes it an excellent model to replicate in a burgeoning economy such as China’s,” said Saeed Humaid Al Tayer, chairman and CEO of Meydan

“It is a significant partnership and we are very bullish about the growth prospects presented there. We hope to lend our expertise and extensive experience in positioning horse racing, so that it not only promotes the sport, but supports its related industries and provides viable economic returns to the people of China.”

In a press statement, Meydan said that the potential for the horse-racing industry in China was considerable, especially given the direct economic impact of the sector on the economies of the US, the UK and Australia. The developer said that the industry was worth $39bn in the US alone.

Meydan today announced the launch of its revamped corporate website, www.meydan.ae. The improvements to the website were introduced to enhance organisational visibility internationally and facilitate focused and streamlined communication channels for Meydan City.

The website clearly positions Meydan as a dynamic location with an environment that presents a multitude of possibilities for business, entertainment and sports.

The new interactive flash multimedia interface with informational hotspots presents a visual and highly interactive walkthrough of the entire development. Serving as a comprehensive information source, the website also includes in-depth details on Meydan City’s individual districts – Meydan Racecourse, Meydan Metropolis, Meydan Horizons and Meydan Godolphin Parks. The website also serves as a gateway to the Dubai Racing Club (DRC), the Dubai Equestrian Club (DEC) and the Emirates Equestrian Centre (EEC) websites, which form part of Meydan City Corporation.

Enhanced navigation tools built into the website include quick access panels to each district, land sales, leasing, the racing season and conferences and events, as well as the latest news and media releases. Potential investors are given the chance to interact, give feedback and gain further insight into Meydan’s plans.

Detailed floor plans of Meydan Grandstand’s Corporate Suites can now also be viewed online, allowing clients to select and book a suite with ease. Information on other hospitality options and restaurants at Meydan Grandstand is also available.

A dedicated media centre also provides information on the latest news, with the option for media downloads of high resolution images. The Gallery showcases images of each distinct district, and videos of an overview of Meydan City, Meydan Grandstand’s construction time lapse sequence, the official launch of Meydan Grandstand and Racecourse and the 15th Dubai World Cup, a 3D walkthrough of Meydan Grandstand and Racecourse, and The Meydan hotel.

Mr. Mohammad A. Nasser Al Khayat, Commercial Director of Meydan, said of the Meydan website, “The improved meydan.ae website showcases the Meydan City development through a comprehensive and progressive information portal. As it is a phased project, it is important for us to communicate and showcase the on-going progress of Meydan City to our investors, partners and the international media and audience at large. As we continue to reach out to a wider client base worldwide, the website also serves as a complete primary reference point. As a technology adopter, it is vital that we use technology and the internet to its best advantage, and that Meydan is accurately showcased as an international brand representing a new, dynamic and progressive development with its myriad of offerings.”

Learning the racehorse trainer’s art in the Emirates, Mahmood Al Zarooni impressed with his instinctive ability to straighten the kinks in the most wayward of thoroughbreds.

Meydan City

That understanding has served him well when dealing with demanding owners during his fledgling career.

But, with a victory from his first runner as Godolphin’s new trainer – at Meydan on Dubai World Cup night – a third in the Derby and a head defeat in the Irish 1,000 Guineas, it isn’t one he’s been called on to practise on his new boss, Sheikh Mohammed.

“I’ve been working in stables before and I know – everybody knows – how some owners are not easy to deal with,” explains the 33-year-old, “but His Highness is amazing – you would not believe it.”

As assistant to Saeed bin Suroor, Al Zarooni was preparing Godolphin’s horses for the Dubai World Cup fixture when the sheikh arrived at the Al Quoz stables unannounced.

“He told me to jump in the car,” recalls Al Zarooni, who served time with Rod Simpson, Ali Al Raihe and Mubarak bin Shafya before joining Godolphin.

“He was silent, then he told me he had decided to give me a licence. It was sudden and my brain couldn’t take it in.

“At the time I didn’t know how to thank him – it was a shock for me.”

Working on the basis that actions speak louder than words, Al Zarooni forgot about the verbals and focussed on the task of repaying the Sheikh’s faith.

His first opportunity came with Calming Influence in the Group 2 Godolphin Mile, the second race on the World Cup card.

Ridden by Ahmed Ajtebi, the jockey now retained by his Moulton Paddocks stable in Newmarket, the five-year-old won by a length.

“I said I would be happy to finish fourth in a big race at Meydan but, to be honest, I didn’t expect to win,” remembers Al Zarooni.

“What made it really great for me was that it was the first day for Meydan, and World Cup night.

“To have a winner with my first runner – I was very, very happy. I thank God and I thank His Highness for being in Godolphin.”

It wasn’t beginner’s luck. Rewilding made the frame at Epsom, 13 days after Bethrah denied Al Zarooni a first Classic when pipping Anna Salai at the post on the Curragh.

Anna Salai, like Rewilding a graduate of the Andre Fabre equine academy, has been added to the field for Friday’s Coronation Stakes, where she will clash with another filly seeking Redemption, the Henry Ceciltrained Jacqueline Quest.

Inwardly, Al Zarooni will be desperate to crown such a bright beginning to his new role with a Group 1 success. Externally, he’s playing the long game.

“I’m not going to say I’m going to win. I want to get involved and learn more for the future,” he says.

“I’m 33, so I’m still young, and I’m going to see what’s happening and learn.

“Anna Salai ran very well and I hope she can run a good race, but it’s not easy – she is running against some nice fillies, and she was fit and professional when she came from Andre Fabre.

“She hasn’t improved, and she hasn’t gone down.”

The educational process will continue for years to come, but Al Zarooni knows that Newmarket is the ideal place for a man in his position.

“Newmarket is like school for me – it’s the best place in the world to be around horses and to learn, because you’re around the best trainers in the world.

“His Highness took me in the car to show me Moulton Paddocks, and on the way we passed Warren Hill.

“When I saw Warren Hill, I saw something that I can’t express in English – if you learn Arabic, I will tell you!

“I was frightened and excited, but very happy. I watched Newmarket on TV when I was in Dubai, but it is much, much better in reality than on the TV.

“In Dubai we would run once a week at Nad Al Sheba. Here you are running every day and up and down the country, on firm ground and on soft ground.

“There is a great deal of variety, and you learn a lot. I am always watching trainers and trying to follow them.”

One thorny lesson Newmarket’s newest trainer will learn is that the good times can be all too fleeting.

At the end of the 1990’s, bin Suroor, a Derby winner with Lammtarra early in his career, was routinely bagging Europe’s most longed-for trophies.

A dip in the stable’s fortunes – as the original crack squad fleshed out to become a bloated and unmanageable horde – was inevitable.

Jealousy among peers made way for schadenfreude until the trainer’s resurgent 2009 boasted 202 victories across the globe, including 13 in Group 1’s. During the lean times bin Suroor drew support from the sheikh, who resisted the temptation for root-andbranch change to a winning formula in need of just a nip and a tuck.

Neither will there be a knee jerk when Al Zarooni suddenly loses his Midas touch.

“Some owners, who have one horse, will give you a hard life. I have more than 100 horses for His Highness, and I don’t feel one per cent of pressure I felt with private owners before.

“He’s the ruler of Dubai, and if he wasn’t like this he wouldn’t be a ruler.

“He’s been in this game a long time, and he knows the game very well.”

Meydan announced its flagship Meydan Grandstand and Racecourse facility has been voted the second most important sports venue globally.

Meydan City

The World Games Stadium in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, was voted as the most important venue by internationally recognised sports title; SportsPro magazine. Third was Cowboys Stadium, Dallas, fourth was Wembley in London, fifth was Soccer City in Johannesburg.

Almost unanimously seen as a ‘game-changing’ venue not only for the Middle East but for the sport of horse racing across the world, Meydan also rated highly in terms of innovation, originality, infrastructure, potential commercial prowess and the sheer magnitude of the integrated facility.

Published in the June edition of SportsPro magazine, the list is the first global ranking of its kind and includes venues from 13 different countries including North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. The venues were compiled by the SportsPro editorial team, before the rankings were determined through consultation with a number of sports industry experts which included designers, architects, stadium managers and sponsorship experts.

Around 100 global sporting venues were analysed and pared down to the final top 30. A broad spectrum across various sports and geographical locations were considered with UAE’s Yas Marina Circuit and Dubai Sports City also being nominated and placed at 8^th and 11^th positions in the poll respectively. The list ranked venues in order of importance, be it architectural, political, sporting, social, historical, or environmental.

SportsPro is an international monthly magazine for the business of sport, focusing on sponsorship and financing as well as marketing and management across the world’s top sports. With a monthly readership of over 65,000 across 35 countries, it features the sports industry’s top executives, events, deals and venues as well as reports, sponsorship reviews and industry insights.

David Cushnan, Editor of SportsPro, said: “Meydan has set new standards and its placing properly reflects that. It is not only a monument to Shaikh Mohammed’s vision for Dubai, but a new benchmark for the entire international racing industry. Every other future racing venue will be judged against features like Meydan’s Grandstand, the hotel and the new training facilities. It is also a perfect marriage of tradition and technology and the centrepiece of a city built from scratch, completely unique in that it could only happen in Dubai. There should be absolutely no surprise that it ranked so highly in our list.”

Mohammad A. Nasser Al Khayat, Commercial Director of Meydan, said, “‘It is indeed an honour for us to be recognised globally by the recent SportsPro poll. Seeing that we have only just launched the Meydan Grandstand and Racecourse as part of our first phase of the Racecourse District in Meydan City, and more so when one realises that this is only a glimpse of the full scope of what it will eventually encompass.”

Dubai-based conglomerate Meydan Group has signed a memorandum of understanding with Chinese firm Guangsha Middle East Construction for the construction and development of the first phase of the Meydan Metropolis Business Park.

The Business Park is the latest aspect of the Meydan project

Located within the freezone of Meydan City, a 60.96million square metre site that includes the Meydan Grandstand and racecourse, the deal is the second collaboration for the two companies and is a milestone for the ambitious project, which intends to mix sporting facilities with business and entertainment.

The contract includes 16 commercial buildings for office and retail outlets and will include near to 3,000 car park spaces. It has been designed by Malaysian architects TAK Design Consultants. Several of the office buildings have been pre-sold to Emirates NBD and Amlak Finance, according to the company.

“The objective is to be the leader in the market,” said Meydan chairman and CEO Saeed Humaid Al Tayor at a press conference earlier today. “This project has seen big capital, and we’ve had people knocking on the door looking to relocate here.”

He said the company has between 65-70 investors. “We’ve had partnerships with banks for the last three years, and so far we are satisfied with the relationships,” he said.

Guangsha Middle East – part of Guangsha Holding Venture Group, a diverse conglomerate with interests in energy, tourism and media among other sectors – had previously provided the Falcon car park and facilities in the complex.

Lou Zhong Fu, chairman of Guangsha Holding Venture Capital Group, said: “It is a pivotal component of the urban plan for Meydan City and allows us to further showcase our construction prowess and also strengthen our ongoing partnership with Meydan.”

Asked if Meydan would scale down some of its project plans in the midst of a prolonged economic slump and a slower construction market, Al Tayor said: “It’s only wise to sit down and reassess what’s happening in the world. When we embark on a project we have to undertake a risk analysis.

“We had a timeframe and so far we have been fairly satisfied with the deliverables. [We know that] if we are not ready when the opportunity comes we will get left behind.

“Certain deliverables” of the Business Park are expected to be in place in the next 13 to 15 months, he added.

Later he added to journalists that there had been “a reduction in overall construction costs… some substantial savings, although some things are decided by the market. We’ll sit down with our suppliers. I’m a business person, and so like all people to prosper”.

He said the two substations for the Business Park – SS7 and SS8 – have already been built and that this is ahead of normal protocol whereby the construction of buildings and infrastructure run parallel.

In answer to a question over the prospective price of buying business units, he said: “It depends on how much investors would seek to acquire”, adding that the days of people pushing price packages could be near an end.

He revealed also that there is no automatic roll-over of contracts with one supplier from one part of the overall project to the next, saying that he would give “as many companies as possible that chance to come on board” by tendering their services.