Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) will sponsor the second meeting of 2022 at Meydan Racecourse, which will take place on Friday, 7 January.

Hosted by Dubai Racing Club, the valuable card will encompass nine races, three of which will take place on the turf course and six on the main dirt track. The feature race is the Zabeel Trophy, taking place over 1,600 metres on turf and attracting prominent entries, including the exciting ‘One Ruler’ for Godolphin trainer Charlie Appleby.

This is Dubai Culture’s first evening of sponsorship at Dubai’s flagship Meydan Racecourse, which was set up in March 2008 by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Prime Minister and Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. Since then, it has played a vital role in shaping culture in the region through various initiatives aimed at showcasing talent in the emirate.

Friday’s race night will mark the beginning of an ongoing collaboration between Dubai Racing Club and Dubai Culture, which will see them bring several leading artists to the races and host a few events and initiatives, both from a culture and artistic perspective, during the build-up to the Dubai World Cup meeting on 26 March.

Commenting on the new partnership, HE Major General Mohammed Essa Al Adhab, Board Member and General Manager of Dubai Racing Club, said: “We are delighted to be welcoming Dubai Culture to Meydan Racecourse for the launch of a new collaboration that will bring many new initiatives to the sport, including the attendance of some of the UAE’s many talented artists to the races over the next few weeks. We hope their trips here will prove to be entertaining and a source of inspiration.”

Muna Faisal Algurg, Director of the Museums Department and Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Culture and Heritage Sector at Dubai Culture, said: “The equestrian sport is an important element of Dubai’s rich heritage and culture, and we look forward to our collaboration with Dubai Racing Club on our journey towards safeguarding this valuable sport and ensuring that it is celebrated with national pride. This cooperation will enhance the emirate’s global footprint and economy as well as contribute to the dissemination of knowledge about the emirate’s rich heritage among community members, including citizens, residents and visitors, by using the names of the Authority’s museums, heritage and literary assets as titles for races.”

Friday’s card will commence at 5:25 p.m., and the races will bear the names of cultural destinations in the emirate, starting with Etihad Museum, Al Shindagha Museum, Museum of the Poet Al Oqaili, Majlis Ghurfat Umm Al Sheif, Hatta Heritage Village, Al Safa Art & Design Library, Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood and Al Quoz Creative Zone.