Dubai Racing Club has chosen 10 students for the second intake of its horse racing education programme, for the 2026-27 season, the state news agency WAM reported in Arabic on 16 October 2026. The club said the programme aims to introduce young people to the racing industry and the jobs available in it, and to develop their practical and leadership skills.
More than 40 students applied. They were interviewed to assess their motivation, commitment, passion for horse sport and readiness to learn, as well as their academic interests and their ideas for developing the racing sector, before 10 were selected. No previous experience is required.
What the course covers
The programme runs for 12 weeks for each group, one of secondary school students and one of university students. It includes in-person and online sessions, riding, visits to stables, practical activities and meetings with specialists from the industry, as well as a community initiative and a final project. The club says it also introduces participants to the UAE’s equestrian heritage, with the aim of preparing young people to support the sector in future. Both groups are due to graduate at Meydan racecourse during Super Saturday on 27 February 2027.
From pilot to second cohort
The club announced the programme on 14 November 2025, in cooperation with Dubai Equestrian Club and the Emirates Equestrian Centre, WAM reported at the time, and that report described it as a pilot. The first phase was due to begin on 16 November 2025 with schools selected by Dubai’s Knowledge and Human Development Authority, and was to offer stable visits, pony riding lessons, racecourse tours and lectures. It was scheduled to end with a graduation at Emirates Super Saturday at Meydan on 28 February 2026. A second phase, described as evaluation and expansion, was to review the results, develop the curriculum and widen the scheme to all of the UAE’s emirates.
At the launch, Ali Al Ali, the club’s executive director and a member of its board, described the programme as an important step in reconnecting young people with equestrian heritage, WAM reported.
The October statement does not mention the two equestrian partners, school selection by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority, or expansion beyond Dubai. It does not say how many students completed the pilot, what the programme costs, who funds it, or whether graduates are offered work experience or jobs in racing.
Equanine’s reading
- Ten places for more than 40 applicants shows interest running ahead of capacity, but at this size the programme builds awareness rather than filling vacancies. Its value to racecourses and yards depends on where graduates go, which the club does not report.
- The October statement describes applications and interviews and includes university students, where the 2025 plan worked through schools selected by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority. That points the scheme at people closer to working age, the group racecourses and stables can recruit.
- For other Gulf racing bodies, the measures to watch are whether the club publishes outcomes after the 27 February 2027 graduation and whether the expansion to all emirates planned in 2025 goes ahead.
