Emirates racing schedule set

With Nad Al Sheba now officially history, the 2009-2010 Emirates Racing Authority season will be highlighted by the opening of the new state-of-the-art Meydan Racecourse on Jan. 28 with the running of Round 1 of the Maktoum Challenge, the first local prep for the Dubai World Cup, which will be run March 27.

Normally, Nad Al Sheba would have opened for business in November, but the Meydan grandstand will not be completed until after the new year. The Meydan racing surfaces, however, will be completed in time for training on Oct. 31.

Jebel Ali will have the honor of opening the Emirates season on Nov. 6. A dirt track, Jebel Ali will conduct a record 14 days of racing, while the turf course at Abu Dhabi will have 17 dates. Meydan, whose Jan. 28 meeting will be the first night of the Dubai Racing Carnival, will have 10 dates. Sharjah, a small track on the northern tip of the United Arab Emirates, has four days of racing.