Friday, Mar 28, 2014

Musabah Al Muhairi has saddled close to 150 winners in the UAE and amassed prize money in excess of Dh15million.

He is a natural born horseman who has incorporated innovative training methods, knowledge and an impeccable work enthic into his craft to become one of the most influential and powerful trainers in the UAE.

He is both unique yet the ‘guy nextdoor’ sort of person. But he is also a fierce competitor. You only need to ask his brother-in-law, Ali Rashid Al Raihe, who is his neighbour at the luxurious Nad Al Sheba training centre, how fierce is fierce.

Ali will probably tell you that Musabah would have better off in an MMA cage or a boxing ring.

Get the picture?

He will also probably tell you that Musabah is a gentleman to the core. One who accepts defeat as well as he does victory.

However, on Saturday, Musabah will not be seen anywhere near the hustle and bustle of the saddling enclosure for, as strange as it may seem, he does not have a representative on the Dubai World Cup card.

But, while he is obviously disappointed, he sees it is a sign to do better in the future.

“One thing is certain, I’m going to enjoy the races. There will be no pressure, no nerves, no worries, no expectations. Just a lot of fun,” he said.

Musabah has sent out 34 winners this season, one more than he did last term. But unfortunately, he lacked a big-race prospect with his stable star Russian Rock failing to deliver on his promise as a potential Al Quoz Sprint candidate.

“Maybe next year we’ll have a horse for the big night. That will be our goal.

“A good horse is one who has a combination of pace, strength, stamina and ability. without these attributes he will perhaps be a good horse but one that is not good enough.”

Musabah believes that kind of horse is not easy to find, or to develop.

He should know, having ridden bare-back in friendly races against Ali on the sandy beaches of Ajman.

“That’s when I learnt about race horses, how to be competitive and how not to lose sight on what you want for yourself in life,” he said whipping out his iphone to show us pictures from those races.

“That was back in the mid seventies, almost fourty years ago. I’m a lot older, and perhaps wiser now. I understand that winning isn’t everything. It is for some. But there’s most to sport that wanting to win every time. You’ve got to enjoy yourself, enjoy what you do everyday, enjoy the success and accept the failure.

“I loved competing with Ali, and it taught me so much about life.

“He is my brother-in-law, my best friend, my confidant, but he’s also my rival,” I must never lose sight of that. “When we both have horses with good chances in a race, I want my horse to beat his, just as he wants his horse to beat mine. But if he wins then I’m happy for him, and if I win he’s happy for me. We talk about it afterwards and have a laugh.

“But that doesn’t stop us from being fierce rivals the next race meeting.

“Obviously being a champion trainer is what every professional wants, dreams about. A few years ago Ali and me were fighting neck-and-neck for the title and even finished on 30 winners each. But he was declared champion because he had more second place horses. It hurt me, but I was also happy for him. I told myself my time will come. That’s what we strive for each season.”

Musabah was also lavish in his praise for Maria Ritchie, his assistant of three years.

“Maria is unlike my previous assistants, she is honest and works closely with me,” he said. “The others were not. You have to make a lot of sacrifices in this profession and Maria is a committed person. That’s what I like.”

By Leslie Wilson Jr Racing & Special?Features Writer

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