Obituary: Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum

Deputy ruler of Dubai and legend of horse racing as owner-breeder

Sheikh Hamdan owned a stud in Kildare as part of his operation. Photo: Getty Images

April 04 2021 02:30 AM

Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who has died aged 75, was one of horse racing's outstanding owner- breeders over the past 30 years. His royal blue silks with white epaulettes were a familiar sight in Britain, where he won the Epsom Derby twice among a host of other big races, and was champion owner on the flat on nine occasions between 1990 and 2020. His highly successful breeding operation extended from England to Ireland and the United States.

As a brother of the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Sheikh Hamdan acted as a deputy ruler of the emirate, and was also minister of finance, industry and trade for the United Arab Emirates (UAE), leading its delegations to the IMF and serving on the ministerial board of the Opec Fund for International Development, which supports social and economic projects in around 140 countries.

Here and in Britain, however, he was known almost exclusively for his racing interests. In 1989 his magnificent horse Nashwan, trained by Dick Hern and ridden by Willie Carson, became the first to win the 2,000 Guineas, Derby, Eclipse and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes in the same season. His other Derby winner, Erhaab, took the prize in 1994.

His sprinter Dayjur swept all before him in 1990, the Racing Post calling him simply "the world's fastest horse", while Salsabil, trained by John Dunlop, won the English 1,000 Guineas and Oaks before going on to take the Irish Derby in 1990 (the first filly to win the race in almost a century).

Sheikh Hamdan also bred Sakhee, which landed the 2001 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. His $1.5m purchase from Uruguay, Invasor, won the 2006 Breeders' Cup Classic and the following year's Dubai World Cup, a race the Sheikh had already won with Almutawakel in 1999. With Battaash, he was the owner of the Cartier Champion Sprinter of 2020.

He was born on December 25, 1945, the second son of Sheikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, who ruled Dubai from 1958 and began the development which turned the emirate into the economic powerhouse it is today.

After schooling in Dubai, in 1964 he was sent to learn English at the Bell school in Cambridge, and on returning home was appointed chairman of the Dubai Municipality, responsible for everything from construction projects to health.

When the UAE was declared an independent sovereign state in 1971, Sheikh Hamdan was appointed finance minister, and he added the portfolios of industry and trade as the UAE sought to guard against over-reliance on the oil sector. In Dubai, he oversaw a wide range of interests including the Dubai World Trade Centre.

As a young man, he was an excellent horseman - among his tricks was to race one of his brothers while standing on his mount's back - but his interest in the turf dated from visits to Newmarket while he was studying in Cambridge.

In 1982 he bought Derrinstown Stud in Co Kildare, and in the same year purchased a three-year-old filly, Height of Fashion, which would prove an exceptional broodmare, producing winners such as Nashwan, Unfuwain and Nayef. Two years later, the Sheikh added the Shadwell Stud in Norfolk to his portfolio, closely followed by the 3,200-acre Shadwell Farm at Lexington, Kentucky.

In England, Sheikh Hamdan won the 1,000 Guineas with Shadayid (1991), Harayir (1995), Lahan (2000) and Ghanaati (2009); the 2,000 Guineas with Haafhd (2004); and the Oaks with Eswarah (2005) and, in 2014, with Taghrooda, which also took the King George in the same year. Here, he had four 1,000 Guineas winners - Al Bahathri (1985), Mehthaaf (1994), Matiya (1996) and Bethrah (2010) - while Awtaad won the Irish 2,000 in 2016.

Among his other notable horses was Muhaarar, champion sprinter in 2015, the 1990 Eclipse winner Elmaamul, and the Ascot Gold Cup winner Ashal (also 1990). He also won two Melbourne Cups and bred the three-time Champion Hurdle winner Istabraq. He was champion breeder in Britain on five occasions.

A noted philanthropist, he established the Al Maktoum College of Higher Education in Dundee with the aim of "building bridges between the communities - namely 'western' and 'Muslim' - that make up our city, nation and world today".

Away from horse racing, Sheikh Hamdan's passion was falconry, and he served as chairman of the Al-Nasr football club in Dubai, which became known for hosting friendlies with teams such as Liverpool, Arsenal and Brazilian side Santos.

With his wife, Sheikha Roda Al Maktoum, whom he married in 1987, he had three sons and three daughters.