UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, accompanied by Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, attended ,on the evening of January 28, 2010 , the opening of the iconic Meydan Racecourse, the world's largest in term of area in NAd Al Sheba. The opening meeting saw the holding of the 2010 Dubai International Racing Carnival, heralding the beginning of a new era of racing in the UAE.
The inauguration of Meydan Racecourse is a new addition and huge shift in the evolution of our races towards globalism. It is able to accommodate over 60,000 spectators in a 1.6 km long grandstand. Meydan is the largest and longest artificial-turf racecourse stretching to over 1.5 km in length and around 355 feet in width with a surrounding building area occupying three million and 300 thousand square feet. It has IMAX Theatre which is home to the largest screen installed onland area off the grandstand. The screen soars up to 37 feet in height covering an area of up to 3061 square feet, thus allowing racing fans to follow up the race from the grandstand.
The $ 10 billion Meydan, which was launched in 2007, ccontains a parking area ergonomically designed in the form of falcon and can accommodate about 10 thousand cars, the 5-star hotel which comprises 290 rooms, 95 of them overlooking the racecourse, with a 2.7 km waterfront, which is the first of its kind built in horse racing race track. It also includes theater cinema, entertainment facilities , restaurants royal and VIP’s compartments, and other necessary facilities for spectators in addition to a horse racing museum that is commensurate with the design of Meydan which includes many Arab and Islamic monuments.
