Sheikh Hamdan, 75, was the brother of Dubai’s current ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum. He had been unwell for months and had surgery abroad in October.
Sheikh Hamdan established his first racing stable, Shadwell Racing, in the United Kingdom in the 1980s and built it into a racing empire with his horses in blue and white silks winning major international races. He owned eight stud farms worldwide, according to local media.
Last June, jockey Jim Crowley completed a treble on the opening day of Royal Ascot with Sheikh Hamdan’s Battaash, Motakhayyel and Nazeer.