Maktoum to watch from the sidelines
It is widely acknowledge that Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, ruler of Dubai, is at the forefront of horse racing. He commissioned and sponsors the Dubai World Cup, the world's richest horse races and regularly competes himself as a well-respected endurance racer in his own right.
However all that is set to change for the next 6 months, as His Highness has be banned from endurance racing for the next 6 months after his horse, Tahhan was tested positive for a hyper-tension drug and the steroid Stanozolol designed to relax the blood vessels and lower blood pressure.
His Highnesses' trainer, Abdullah bin Huzaim who admitted doping the horse before the two major races in Dubai in February and in Bahrain the previous month, was also banned from any race participation for one year. However, the FEI holds the rider of the horse during the race responsible overall.
In conjunction with the 6-month ban Maktoum was also ordered to pay a fine of 4500 Swiss francs in accordance with Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI), with whom Maktoum's wife Princess Haya Al Hussein of Jordan is president.
Maktoum, who immediately withdrew the horse from any races during April when the inquest was underway, will now have to watch one of his favourite sports from the sidelines. However in true Dubai-style, he'll be sure to be re-entering the track race in style at the beginning of next year.
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August 05th 2009