"Absolutely passionate about racing": Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum dies, aged 75

Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum has died, at the age of 75.

Sheikh Hamdan, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, was a hugely prominent owner of a string of Classic and Royal Ascot winners for more than 30 years.

His blue-and-white colours and his Shadwell Racing breeding operation have been famous throughout the racing world for many decades.

On Wednesday morning Sheikh Hamdan’s younger brother Sheikh Mohammed posted on Twitter: “We belong to God and to Him we shall return … May God have mercy on you, my brother, my support and my companion.”

Among the best of Sheikh Hamdan’s many Group One winners, he was most widely associated with 1989 Derby and 2000 Guineas winner Nashwan, the brilliant 1990 dual Classic-winning filly Salsabil and outstanding sprinters of different generations in Dayjur and Battaash.

Others to have carried his silks included Oaks and King George heroine Taghrooda, another Derby victor in Erhaab and two winners of the Melbourne Cup in the shape of At Talaq and Jeune, who triumphed at Flemington in 1986 and 1994 respectively.

Trainer Marcus Tregoning recalled a man with a great “love for racing” and sense of humour as he led the tributes to Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum.

Tregoning first met Sheikh Hamdan as assistant to Dick Hern – trainer of 1989 Derby winner Nashwan, in his famous blue-and-white silks.

“I’ve been associated with Sheikh Hamdan’s operation for over 40 years, and it’s been a great one for me,” said Tregoning.

“Our association started in the early 1980s when Sheikh Hamdan bought Height Of Fashion from the Queen.

“That was the start of the horses coming to West Ilsley, which was where Dick Hern was training.”

Among those earliest arrivals were siblings Nashwan and multiple Group winner Unfuwain.

From those days of “tremendous excitement” right up until the Sussex Stakes-winning campaign of Mohaather just last season, Tregoning has treasured Sheikh Hamdan’s company as well as his brilliant horses.

“The early ones were Unfuwain and Nashwan – both out of Height Of Fashion,” he said.

“It was a tremendous excitement getting those, and it snowballed from there.

“We’ve had a long happy association, because we’ve had so many good ones.

“Sheikh Hamdan’s enthusiasm for racing was such good fun.

“Obviously, we’ll all miss him. It was just tremendous times we had, with all those good horses.”

Tregoning, who went on to train a Derby winner, Sir Percy, in his own right for another owner Anthony Pakenham, credits Sheikh Hamdan for helping to underpin his career.

“I was lucky enough to take over from Dick Hern when he retired – and in many ways, I suppose I wouldn’t have trained a Derby winner if I hadn’t had Sheikh Hamdan’s support,” he added.

“He was always good fun, and loved it – he had great passion for racing.

“Mubtaker was a very serious Group horse year after year after year, and still racing at the age of nine.

“When he was second in the Arc to Dalakhani, it was like he’d won the Arc for Sheikh Hamdan – he was so proud of him. He came up and stroked him, and it was extraordinary.”

The same qualities were apparent on gallop visits too.

Tregoning added: “A couple of years ago he was here with me at Whitsbury, having the usual banter and usual fun – and loving seeing all his horses.

“What a lot of people didn’t see, which I was very lucky to see, was his sense of humour.

“He had a great love, a passion for racing, and he loved talking about the horses and looking at them and talking about their pedigree, their temperaments – and what they might do.

“I have to say he was very easy to train for, because generally speaking he’d leave most of it to me.

“But obviously he had tremendous input too, and it was just always good fun.”

Tregoning also remembers his pre-eminent owner also offering to help out with a less glamorous task too.

“He had this great sense of humour,” he said.

“When he came to see me last time, which is now a couple of years ago, I had a real clapped-out Range Rover – which I’ve still got to this day.

“As we were leaving to go back to his helicopter, the Range Rover wouldn’t start – and he said to me ‘Marcus, shall I get out and push?’.

“The fun was always there. He was always laughing, and a great guy to train for.

“We send out all our thoughts to his family. It’s a huge loss.

“It’s a big blow to racing in general, because his operation is huge.”

Kevin Prendergast’s association with Sheikh Hamdan also stretches back to the late 1980s, with Tanwi giving them an early big-race winner in the Group Three Leopardstown Stakes in 1989.

Irish 2,000 Guineas victor Awtaad and 2019 Derby runner-up Madhmoon were more recent class horses the County Kildare trainer had for him.

“It’s very sad news,” said Prendergast. “He was with me for more than 30 years. He was a great man, a great owner -and he will be sadly missed by all.

“I think I trained the last winner for him – Alhaazm on Friday night (at Dundalk).

“I won the Irish 2,000 Guineas for him with Awtaad in 2016 and I was second in the Derby for him two years ago (with Madhmoon).

“They were two highlights, but I had an awful lot of luck for him over the period of time he was with me, and I found him nothing but a gentleman and very loyal owner.”

Shadwell issued the following statement on their website: “It is with great sadness that Shadwell announces the death of His Highness, Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum. He died peacefully on Wednesday 24th March 2021.

“It is a time to reflect on his achievements and his enormous contribution to the global thoroughbred industry. His legacy will live on through his horses.

“Everyone at Shadwell is so proud to have worked for such a loyal, generous, humble and wise man.”

Richard Hills was Sheikh Hamdan’s retained rider from 1997 until his retirement in 2012 and continued to work for him under the Shadwell banner as assistant racing manager.

“It’s really sad. We’re all devastated. From 17 years old, throughout my whole career to now,” he said.

“He was such a great man, he was like a father to me.

“We had some great times. I was in a lucky position. He was my friend, and I was riding his horses, which was his passion. It was joy all the way through.

“Every one of the Classic winners I rode him meant everything to me – four Guineas, an Oaks and a Leger. All of them were special.

“Nayef was great because he was out of Height Of Fashion. He was tough and he won six Group Ones. There was Almutawakel who won the Dubai World Cup.

“I rode 550 winners in Dubai. I don’t think I took a week off for 15 years.

“It was a joy to get up in the morning and ride those horses.”

His long-standing racing manager Angus Gold believes it was Sheikh Hamdan’s passion that was the key to his success.

“It’s a very say day. From my point of view he was an amazing man, and we spoke for the first 25 years nearly every day – whether about horses or just about what was going on in the world,” Gold told Sky Sports Racing.

“He’s been a lot busier recently, so I didn’t bother him quite so much, but he’s been more than a boss.

“To have the sort of success he had you’ve got to have the passion – and he had that in abundance. He absolutely loved the business – particularly the breeding, as everyone knows. A home-bred Classic winner was the highlight for him. That’s why Nashwan was so special and close to his heart, as he always said.

“He was absolutely passionate about the business. He loved going to look at the foals and the yearlings and to see them on the racecourse – I’m sure that’s what kept him going for so long. He was so passionate about it.

“It was a truly global operation – America, Australia and South Africa – and when Dubai opened up he loved having runners and winners there in his homeland, so his influence was very global. We were very lucky he played such a big part in it.

“It was wonderful to talk to a man who was so immersed in the whole thing, the fact he was very busy in his own right in Dubai and obviously a rich and powerful man, yet what he loved was talking about his horses.

“He would often ring me about the smallest thing that you wouldn’t think he had time to notice – but he watched every runner and had very strong opinions.

“It’s too early to talk about what the future will bring. We will wait and see what Sheikh Hamdan’s family want to do, but I think just from the breeding point of view some of the families he has helped develop over the last 40 years will be around for a long time to come.”