HH Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Approves 2017-18 UAE Race Fixtures

Handassa under Jim Crowley wins the Al Maktoum Challenge

Handassa under Jim Crowley wins the Al Maktoum Challenge

24 April 2017, UAE ~ The fixture list for the 2017 – 2018 UAE racing season has been approved by His Highness Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE, Minister of Presidential Affairs and Chairman of Emirates Racing Authority (ERA).

The ERA season will offer 62 race dates and opens at Jebel Ali Racecourse on Friday, 3 November 2017. The racing fraternity will move to Abu Dhabi Racecourse a day later and progress to Meydan Racecourse on Thursday, 9 November. Sharjah Racecourse gets its season underway on 11 November while Al Ain Racecourse has its first meeting on Friday, 24 November 2017.

The international racing season kicks off with the opening Dubai World Cup Carnival meeting at Meydan Racecourse on Thursday, 11 January while the 23rd renewal of the Dubai World Cup sponsored by Emirates will take place on Saturday, 31 March.

In total the UAE racing season will include 10 meetings at Al Ain Racecourse, 15 at Abu Dhabi Racecourse, 11 at Jebel Ali Racecourse, 6 at Sharjah Racecourse and 20 at Meydan Racecourse.

Malih Al Basti, ERA Board Member and Chairman of the ERA Steering Committee said: “We are pleased to release the fixtures for the 2017 – 2018 UAE racing season. The schedule offers trainers and race goers a comprehensive season of racing across our five tracks.

We offer racing for domestic and international horses in both the Thoroughbred and Purebred Arabian ranks and look forward to the start of another successful season of racing in the UAE on Friday November 3, 2017.

Caption: Handassa trained by Francois Rohaut and ridden by Jim Crowley seen here winning the Al Maktoum Challenge R3 at Meydan raccourse during 2016-17 season (Photo-credit Dubai Racing Club and Andrew Watkins)