Dubai vacation for group of horsemen

They may be competitors on the racetrack, but a group of horsemen recently spent a week together sightseeing and attending the big-money Thoroughbred card March 29 at the Dubai racetrack that featured the $6 million Dubai Classic. Among the group of horsemen who traveled to the United Arab Emirates were Ross Croghan, Noel Daley, Richard Norman, Chris Ryder and David McDuffee.

While in Dubai, the five joined up with former U.S.-based trainer Brett Pelling—who returned to his native land Down Under following the 2005 season—and New Zealand-based horseman Stuart Hunter on the excursion.

“We were there a week and had a blast,” Croghan told harnessracing.com. “The city is amazing; just quite an amazing place. I know they have a lot of money there, but the amount of money just boggles the mind.”

Croghan added the Dubai racetrack is an aging facility, and that a new, massive site is being built nearby.

“The new grandstand is a quarter of a mile long and 10 stories high,” he said. “When they build something, they build it up. The new grandstand is so big there are 13 cranes on top of it from one end to the other.”

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