Dh10bn Meydan racetrack revealed

Racegoers will get 'as close to the action as possible' at the Dubai home of the most expensive races in the world.

The Meydan course is on a site next to Nal Al Sheeba in Dubai.
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The future home of horse-racing in Dubai was unveiled for the first time today, just weeks ahead of its first event. Meydan, built at an estimated costs of Dh10 billion (US$2.73bn), has risen from the desert on a site next to Nad Al Sheeba, which has hosted the Dubai World Cup for the past 14 years. The vast site, which will also includes business and residential districts across its 18 square kilometres, will have a capacity of more than 60,000 when complete. The media was invited today to view Meydan, with a focus on the racetrack and the 1.6km grandstand, which also features a five-star hotel, a racing museum, hospitality suites, and an Imax cinema. Saeed Al Tayer, the chairman of Meydan, said he expected 300,000 spectators to visit Dubai's new home of racing during its opening season, which begins on January 28 and concludes with the Dubai World Cup in March.

He said: "At Meydan, we have facilities we have never had before and will be bringing racegoers as close to the action as possible. We are hosting the most expensive races in the world and Meydan was benchmarked against the world's top racecourses to ensure the best racing experience." "Everything we have learnt from hosting the Dubai World Cup over the past 14 years has gone into the design of Meydan. We even conducted a traffic impact study in the area to ensure everything would run smoothly." he said. tbrooks@thenational.ae