Business & Finance Club Magazine - Sports - Horse Racing - Dubai: Perhaps nowhere in the world are race-goers treated to unparalleled horse racing and style than at the world's most glamorous horse racing event — Royal Ascot.
This year's festival was no exception as it served up another exhilarating feast of thoroughbred action and high-fashion that spanned over ten decades.
Put simply, Ascot stages the best flat racing in the world with six top class Group 1 races, an additional 11 Group 2 or 3 races and some of the most famous and prestigious handicap events in the British racing calendar.
The action kicked-off on Tuesday, June 15 with a Group 1 double header in the Queen Anne Stakes, won with panache by the French wonder mare Goldikova and the King's Stand Stakes, which went to the electrifying Equiano.
Seventh heaven
UAE connections were out in numbers, but had to wait until day two before they could claim the first three of seven successes at the meeting.
Rainfall supplied Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, with the first of two winners that he would profit from when winning the Group 3 Jersey Stakes, before Godolphin landed the Royal Hunt Cup with Invisible Man and Maqaasid gave Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance, another Royal treat with victory in the Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes.
Dubai's success continued into day three, Ladies Day on Thursday, when Hibaayed snatched the Group 2 Ribblesdale Stakes and Afsare gave former Derby winning owner Shaikh Mohammad Obaid Al Maktoum the Hampton Court trophy.
Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad picked up his second success on Friday when Monterosso won the King Edward VII Stakes before Dubai's Saeed Manana won the Chesham Stakes with Zaidan.
The Group 1 Prince of Wales's Stakes was won by French raider Byword, while the Gold Cup, Coronation Stakes and Golden Jubilee Stakes all fell to Irish-trained horses.