Found on Netty Royalty
This week Princess Haya bint al-Hussein of Jordan, who married Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum two years ago, is watching her second dream unfold — that of bringing her sport of international showjumping to her adopted country Dubai. The Al Maktoum Memorial Challenge — dedicated to the memory of her brother-in-law, Sheikh Maktoum, the founder of the Dubai Equestrian Club who died last week, is a significant step in the princess’s ambition to make Dubai as synonymous with showjumping as it is with racing through the Dubai World Cup. Like the latter, it offers the sport’s richest prize fund — $1.25 million over three days. Tomorrow’s Grand Prix, the final event, carries a $250,000 first prize. “It has been an ambition of mine to see a showjumping event of this standard in Dubai,” the princess said. The princess is determined that her adopted countrymen should have the chance to compete at the highest level in her sport. “Young Arab riders must learn first-hand what top sport is all about,” she said. “Having the best in the world competing here could really kick-start showjumping.” The international show was first mooted only in August through a chance meeting at Newmarket between the princess and Simon Brooks-Ward, the organiser of the Olympia Show in London. “She asked if I was free to organise an international horse show for her in Dubai in January,” Brooks-Ward said. Aware that top prize-money, ease of travel and the best footing are essential for a horse show, the princess guaranteed all three. Sponsorship helped with the first. First-class travel — “The biggest factor in how your horse will perform,” she said — came courtesy of Sheikh Mohammed’s private 747, which is normally used for his Godolphin racehorse string. The footing for the main arena was laid by Martin Collins International and shipped in from Britain in 128 containers. While most of the celebrations associated with this week’s festival of Eid al-Adha were cancelled because of the death of Sheikh Maktoum, his brother Sheikh Mohammed gave the horse show his blessing, renaming it the Al Maktoum Memorial Challenge
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