American racing could prosper from a dose of Sheikh Mohammed's dedication to improvement

The images are indelible.

Small spotlights sparkle like golden stars inside the glass front of the deep blue Millennium Grandstand, which sits on the horizon like a spaceship. Throngs of Japanese embrace in glee, sobbing with joy and speaking rapidly, their words rising in the air and mixing with similar exclamations uttered in Arabic like flocks of birds chattering in the springtime.

A string of waiters wearing white gloves kneels like a row of pearls in front of a gathering of sheikhs, proffering silver trays of delicacies.

Bob Baffert and Mike Pegram raise gold trophies in the air, shouting only as exulting Americans do.

And, most of all, it was the horses. From the United States, the determined Captain Steve and the speedy Caller One. From Japan, the slight but valiant Stay Gold and the stout-hearted mare To the Victory. From the United Arab Emirates, the muscular American-breds Express Tour and Festival of Light. From France via Hong Kong and many other nations, the peripatetic chestnut gelding Jim and Tonic (Fr). From Australia and New Zealand, the game and glorious Sunline.

Cheering them on are 60,000 people, from Westerners sporting designer clothes to Africans and Arabs lounging on handcrafted rugs spread on the Nad al Sheba racecourse apron. All are on hand despite knowing there is no pari-mutuel wagering at the track, which lies in an Islamic land were betting is forbidden. The Dubai World Cup (UAE-G1) program, worth a record $15-million for six Thoroughbred races on March 24, proved to be an international event that transcended traditional racing elsewhere.

Sprung from the fertile mind of Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum into reality in 1996, the World Cup has leaped from just an exotic outing in the desert, designed partly as a tourism lure, into a multicultural racing extravaganza where champions bloom.

But that is not enough for Sheikh Mohammed. "It is very good, but it is my vision to make it even better," Sheikh Mohammed proclaimed on World Cup night. When he conceived the idea, Sheikh Mohammed knew he had to offer millions of dollars in purses to attract racing's elite, and he had to provide facilities and a show equal to or better than the best located anywhere else.

He drew on examples from around the world, using many American ideals, from the surface of Nad al Sheba, designed to be similar to Churchill Downs, to the Emirates Racing Association office, headed by American Kevin Greely.

Yes, Sheikh Mohammed has the money to get what he wants and is fearless in spending. He raised the purse of the United Arab Emirates Derby (UAE-G3) to $2-million, double that of the Kentucky Derby (G1), in order to make it a strong classics prep for his Godolphin Racing runners.

But the Dubai World Cup program is about more than money. It is about excellence. Even the television cameras provide creative views of the racing contests, following the surging fields as if running with them.

Jockeys wear white pants with their names embroidered in black down the right leg so fans can easily identify stars such as Jerry Bailey and Frankie Dettori. Each race on the rich program, with the sole exception being Sheikh Mohammed's UAE Derby, is supported by a corporate sponsor.

Meanwhile, half a world away, American racing seems to be in a holding pattern. Purses of major races such as the Kentucky Derby have not been raised in years. Some backstretch barn areas continue to deteriorate. Events such as the Breeders' Cup are run in predictable fashion annually. Racing's leadership indulges in fat expense accounts while corporate sponsorships dwindle.

Perhaps it is time for the teacher to turn to the pupil, for the sport in America to learn from what Sheikh Mohammed has created.

Surely, if the Dubai World Cup can rise in six years in the remote desert, racing in the United States can flourish with an injection of imagination and a dedicated commitment to improvement.