Merint Dubai Million race to be held in Pune on Aug.5
Posted on - 02 Aug 2018
Merint Dubai Million race to be held in Pune on Aug.5
DUBAI: UAE’s leading specialized glass manufacturing company Merint has announced that it will be sponsoring its inaugural Merint Dubai Million horse race in Pune next month.
Taking place on the monsoon track at the world-renowned Pune Race Course on Aug.5, a packed field of the finest thoroughbreds will vie for the top prize at the Merint Dubai Million, a Class 3 1000-meter sprint. The race carries a prize purse of Dhs54,000.
Called ‘The Sport of Kings’, horseracing has been integral to the good life in Pune and a staple sport since the city’s first horse race in 1819.
“In 1830, the Pune Race Course was built on its current site and the rest as they say is history,” states Fazal Manekia, founder and CEO of Merint. “High-stakes players and racing enthusiasts from all over head to Pune for racing season, which begins in July and this part of the year naturally has a profound effect on the real estate market. It, therefore, made sense for us to create an asset that would give us an opportunity to connect with our target audience and introduce 219 Boat Club to them,” he said. “What better way than to have horses for courses?”
“With the aesthetics of the discerning Pune elite in mind, we have conceptualized Merint Dubai Million, the season’s must-attend racing event and we are confident that it will be well-received by all those who attend.”
Built in 1830, the Pune Race Course covers 118.5 acres and is managed by the Royal Western India Turf Club. Additional stabling for the horses is provided near Empress Garden, 1 kilometre from the course. The racing season in Pune runs from July to October, with the feature races being the Pune Derby and the Indian St. Leger.
“It is important to note that even His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has previously acknowledged the racing prowess coming out of Pune,” said Manekia.
He recalled the time the Dubai ruler met and felicitated Indian Hall of Fame Award winner Zavaray Poonawalla a horse who won two major races at the Dubai racing carnival in 2007.
