NEWS
Sheikh Maktoum dies in Australia
Posted: Wednesday, January 04, 2006
Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai and the eldest of three brothers who revolutionized racing throughout the world over the past 25 years, died on Wednesday while visiting Australia. He was 62.
The cause of death was not immediately available. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum will succeed his brother as ruler of Dubai, which will observe 40 days of official mourning. The Emirates Racing Association has closed its offices for seven days and canceled live racing at Nad al Sheba and Jebel Ali through January 12.
Sheikh Maktoum, who also served as prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, owned four stud farms under the banner of Gainsborough Stud Management Ltd., including Gainsborough Farms in Versailles, Kentucky. He had more than 300 horses in training for Gainsborough and his family's Godolphin Racing operation.
"Sheikh Maktoum's death is a huge loss to Dubai but also to the world of horse racing. He was at the very center of everything Godolphin has achieved," said Simon Crisford, Godolphin's racing manager. "It was Sheikh Maktoum who decided that horses should be trained in Dubai to run in the top international races. Along with Sheikh Mohammed, he set up Godolphin. He was the one who chose the blue silks our horses carry, and he was involved in all key decisions affecting the stable."
Among Sheikh Maktoum's top runners were classic winners Always Loyal, Balanchine, Hatoof, Lailani (GB), Musical Chimes, Shadeed, Shareef Dancer, and Touching Wood, English champion sprinter Cadeaux Genereux, and Grade or Group 1 winners Green Desert, Storming Home (GB), Touch of the Blues (Fr), and White Heart (GB). Shamardal won the 2004 Darley Dewhurst Stakes (Eng-G1) in Sheikh Maktoum's colors before taking two French classics for Godolphin in 2005.
"He really enjoyed his racing," Joe Mercer, Sheikh Maktoum's longtime racing manager, told England's Press Association. "He knew what was going on and was a very good man to work for. He was a good loser and a good winner."
Active in the public auction market since helping to fuel the bloodstock boom of the 1980s, Sheikh Maktoum visited Kentucky in September for the first since 1992 and spent $7.65-million in Gainsborough's name over the first four days of the Keeneland September yearling sale.
"Sheikh Maktoum leaves a tremendous legacy as a visionary leader in the worldwide Thoroughbred industry," said Keeneland President Nick Nicholson. "He strived for only the best for his horses and in his racing and breeding operations, and the international Thoroughbred community has been the beneficiary of those high standards.
"He was a great friend to Keeneland, and to all of Central Kentucky," Nicholson continued. "His leadership improved the quality of the Thoroughbred breed, and the quality of life for his employees and the people of Dubai. We were very happy that he was able to attend the recent Keeneland September yearling sale after having been away for many years. We will miss him very much."
Allen Kershaw, manager of Gainsborough Farm, recalled Sheikh Maktoum as a wonderful man to work for.
"He was very kind and he had a knack for taking care of his people," Kershaw said.
Funeral services are scheduled for Thursday in Bur Dubai.
