The Beginning....
Major General Sheikh Ahmed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s family has been heavily involved in horse racing. His horses have also won Group One races in Ireland, France, Germany and Italy including the Irish St. Leger, Prix de la Salamandre, Grosser Preis von Baden and the Derby Italiano.
Sheikh Ahmed's Jebel Ali Racecourse has been a special place for Selvaratnam since for 25 years attracting over 10,000 spectators each week to the course for the Friday race meetings.
In the summer of 1988, Dhruba Selvaratnam was invited to London on behalf of Sheikh Ahmed’s close friends Mr. Khalifa Dasmal and Mr. Ali Khamis Al Jafleh where he outlined the plan for what is now Jebel Ali Stables and Racecourse. When Selvaratnam first arrived in 1990 the site consisted of two big sand dunes. There was not a house in in sight for miles. Now the racecourse alone is 2000m and there are new real estate projects are underway to metaphorise the area yet again.