In 1969 the late His Highness, Sheikh Zayed, set up the Emir Stables with just 12 horses. The family utilized the available facilities and with full membership, registered with the World Arabian Horses Organization. Pursuing their passion for horse racing, they acquired over 1000 horses that are in training in different parts of the globe and started planning a racetrack. In 1986, the Nad Al-Sheba racetrack came into existence and was located 10 minutes from the City center. Over the years, the race-track was redesigned and expanded and is now 2,254 meters long with 3 chutes. The first Dubai World Cup was held on March 27th, 1996 and was ranked as one of the most prestigious Dubai Sports.