April 14, 2008 Yet another Dubai-based megaproject is underway – this time the world’s biggest horse racecourse, and it’s already being hailed as the future horseracing capital of the world, given the infrastructure it plans for the industry. Unlike Ascot, Lexington or Newmarket, Meydan will in fact be an ENTIRE CITY built around The Sport Of Kings - a gigantic mixed use development centered on the racecourse which will be the new home of the Dubai Racing Club and the Dubai World Cup.
The word Meydan in Arabic describes a meeting place where people discuss, compete and achieve: an environment that encourages competition and co-operation to live side by side in harmony. It’s a man-made habitat created from scratch with lofty aspirations - “to promote excellence and fair play in sport, commerce and life”.
The landmark development is the vision of the remarkable Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and will span 76 million square feet and feature state-of-the-art dirt and turf tracks, while a world-class grandstand will boast a 55,000 to 60,000 capacity and span one kilometre.
It will feature a world-class hotel, more than 10 restaurants, the relocation of Godolphin Gallery, the home of Dubai Racing Club, a museum, as well as covered car parking for 10,000 and a four-kilometre canal which will run from Dubai Creek to the racecourse.
The grandstand will also serve during the off-season as a major dining, business and conference facility.
The target opening date is for the 2010 Dubai World Cup, and to mark its launch, the Dubai Racing Club has raised prizemoney for the showpiece race will be worth US$10 million to ensure the best horses in the world will be on hand for the opening.
The aim is to create a home to the international horse racing industry – the business community, owners, trainers, riders and so on.
The racing facilities will be outstanding, but the venue has been designed to maximize entertainment all year around. It can stage conferences, concerts, functions, and carry on through the off-season. It will be a tourist attraction as well as a business community.
If the incredible property boom going on in the Gulf right now is of interest to you, might we suggest you check out the uaemegaprojects blog of one of our esteemed colleagues, Brett Siegel. There’s also the upcoming Cityscape Abu Dhabi International Property Investment & Development Event, an annual networking exhibition focusing on all aspects of the property development cycle with two parallel conferences running alongside the exhibition. The conference will see more than 300 projects on display, among them all of the amazing developments which are following the Palm, the World and other UAE megaprojects which have sparked the land rush.
The Cityscape events cover all the world hotspots, and attract regional and international investors, property developers, leading architects and designers to an annual forum that celebrates the very best in real estate, architecture, urban planning and design.
