Review / Inside the ruler of Dubai’s 800-acre horse farm in Lexington, Kentucky – where the stud fee is US$200,000
Sheikh Mohammed has been an avid horse racing fan since childhood, and his Godolphin operation operates in the world’s major racing jurisdictions
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai and the prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, is an avid horse racing fan.
The 70-year-old owns Godolphin, a worldwide thoroughbred breeding and racing operation that operates in Dubai, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and Japan.
The centre of the Sheikh’s US horse operation is Jonabell Farm in Lexington, Kentucky, the city known as the “horse capital of the world”. Jonabell Farm is home to Kentucky Derby winners as well as one of the country's top breeding stallions, Medaglia d'Oro, who has a US$200,000 stud fee.
On a recent trip to Kentucky, I got a tour of the 800-acre horse farm. Keep reading for a look inside.
Sheikh Mohammed, the ruler of Dubai since 2006, is an avid horse racing fan.
As a child, he reportedly battled in bareback races with his friends on the sands of Dubai’s Jumeirah Beach.
In 1996, he brought horse racing to Dubai by launching the Dubai World Cup, which has a US$12 million winner's purse – the largest in the world.
At this year’s Keeneland yearling sale in September – the largest horse sale in the world – the Sheikh spent US$16 million on 10 horses.
The Sheikh is the owner of Godolphin, a global horse racing organisation. The thoroughbred stallion division is called Darley.
