Dubai dazzles. Dubai World Cup Race Night dazzles even more, if that were possible.

Held on the last Saturday of March, this is the richest night of racing in the world, the combined purse for the nine races notching up an eye-popping $30 million this year. World-class horses, legendary trainers, star jockeys, records being made and trampled — this one night has it all. Not just the equine action though, a spectacular fireworks display and a closing act by a global pop icon are known to leave spectators equally starry-eyed. Jennifer Lopez, Kylie Minogue, Janet Jackson have performed for Dubai World Cup Race Night in the last three years. 

So, when Longines, the luxury watch brand which is the official timekeeper of the event, invited us to experience this night of gallop and grandeur on March 25, the racing enthusiast in me did a little celebratory trot right in the newsroom. 

Having covered races at the Royal Calcutta Turf Club for t2 for the past six years, I was very excited to compare my racing experience of one of the oldest centres with that of one of the plushest. 

The first learning came as quite a jolt. Gambling is illegal in the United Arab Emirates, so spectators cannot bet on horses at the Dubai races. What then do they do, I wondered. A lot evidently, as I discovered. 

The fash frat 
“No jeans, no T-shirts, no sneakers, no flip flops, no shorts”  — the website announced in bold and in all capitals. My itinerary said ladies should wear a hat or a fascinator, men a dark suit. While we have women with amazing — and only occasionally alarming — headgear at RCTC, it’s by no means a must. But I didn’t want to take a chance, so I went hat shopping to Quest mall amid topi PJs being cracked by Team t2. 

I’m glad I did, for nine out of 10 women at the Meydan racecourse held up really stylish heads. Just like us, they too have best dressed and best hat competitions (called Style Stakes), for both men and women. If you aspire to the best dressed crown, you would do well to wear a cocktail dress, not an evening gown, I read in the guidelines on our way to the Meydan, located about 15-20 minutes from Sheikh Zayed Road, the arterial road of Dubai. 

The giveaways were staggering: the best dressed lady alone would take home shopping vouchers worth 22,000 AED (around Rs 3.87 lakh), one night’s stay at a desert resort and spa, monthly mani-pedi for a year, monthly blow dry for a year, golf course vouchers and a smartphone. I wished I had packed the designer dress and bespoke heels that I do not possess.  

Meydan magic
The number of gates and the sheer size of the bandobast outside revealed just how big the Meydan is. Well, apart from the racing track, it includes a horse racing museum, a gallery, a five-star hotel and a nine-hole golf course. Of course, it’s biggest claim to fame is really big — the Meydan grandstand is the longest single structure in the world, reaching over a kilometre in length, and can accommodate over 60,000 spectators. On the subject of big, it also has a 107m screen, which is among the world’s biggest TVs. It is quite a spectacle when the galloping horses are beamed on it. 

Tickets start at AED 600 (around Rs 10,560) and go up to AED 6,750 (around Rs 1.18 lakh). At home, the Members’ Enclosure ticket at RCTC is Rs 100 now, and entry to the Clubhouse is by invitation only. 

Engaged in this mental math, I went through airport-like security checks and up to the Longines hospitality lounge at the Meydan. This resembled the VIP boxes we have at the Eden Gardens during IPL — an air-conditioned area and a balcony opening onto the track. The inside area was decorated with round tables with place names and tiered trays filled with sweet and savoury light bites. After picking up flutes of champagne and placing our dinner orders (seafood or liver pate for entree, poached Chilean sea bass or slow-roasted Australian beef for mains, and souffle, trifle or a selection of cheeses for the finish), we stepped outside.

Racing hearts 
The first glimpse of the Meydan track is breathtaking, especially because of the plush green of the 2,400m turf track. There is also a 1,750m dirt track. While racing usually begins around noon in Calcutta, it’s an evening affair in Dubai. The first race started at 3.45pm. Actually I didn’t quite realise that racing had begun till I heard the crowd shouting “yeah, yeah, yeah”. With no betting allowed, it was the sheer magic of the equine moment that was causing the noise. 

The funny thing is, there’s nothing to stop people outside the UAE from betting on these races. And they do bet, aggressively, across the world, in casinos in Macau or Las Vegas or in the famous betting parlours of London. With no oddsmakers on the ground, often there are more than one odds for one race, depending on where you are playing. 

At the Meydan, the races I was waiting for were the last two of the evening — the $6-million Longines Dubai Sheema Classic, a turf race, and the finale, the $10-million Dubai World Cup, a dirt race. I was also waiting to set my eyes on the legendary Arrogate. Ever since I started reading up on Dubai World Cup 2017, this one name kept cantering in. A four-year-old thoroughbred, this American grey was the racehorse to watch out for at the Meydan. Owned by Khalid bin Abdullah Al Saud and trained by the legendary Bob Baffert, Arrogate had already shown his class in Travers Stakes 2016, Breeders’ Cup Classic 2016 and the world’s richest single race, the Pegasus World Cup 2017 ($12 million). If he won Dubai, he’d become the richest horse in racing history. A lot was riding on this colt. 

But when the ninth race of the night began, Arrogate didn’t shoot out like an arrow as I had imagined. He was, in fact, running last. LAST! Then magic happened. He started gaining on his opponents and with that now-famous long stride of his, ate up the distance separating him from one contender after another. By the time the horses neared the finishing line, Arrogate had leaped into racing history. The noise at the Meydan was deafening. 

Timekeeper’s tale 
Swiss watchmakers Longines (pronounced “lawn-jeans”) was the Official Timekeeper of the Dubai World Cup, which means it was their job to time the nine races of the evening. Longines’s involvement with equestrian sport dates back to 1878, when it produced a chronograph engraved with a jockey and horse. 

Their association with the Dubai races started seven years back and they also sponsor the Longines Dubai Sheema Classic, one of the biggest turf races in the world, which was won by the British thoroughbred Jack Hobbs this year. 

In between the equine action, I got chatting with Juan-Carlos Capelli, the vice-president and head of international marketing at Longines. He feels Longines and equestrian sport are perfect partners. “Because we share the same values. Elegance. What’s most elegant about racing? Ladies have to wear a dress, a hat, men have to wear a suit, a tie. Also tradition. Because horse racing is probably the most traditional sport, as is our brand. And performance,” he said, adding, “we take our expertise in the horse world and we take a few shapes, like the stirrups, the arch, the buckle of the horse to do the case of the watch... for our Equestrian Collection.”  

Of course we had to talk about the Longines ambassador from India — Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. 

“We asked the local team in India who will fit with Longines in India and only one name came up — Aishwarya Rai. And now for almost 17 years we are working together. She is a true ambassador for the brand. We follow her career… when she got married, when she had the baby... she is a perfect link with the brand because we share the same values.” 

So, what does it take to become a Longines ambassador? “You know, our claim is ‘Elegance is an attitude’... that is, to be elegant somewhere inside. Not only fashion and beauty. Take the example of the two former tennis players, Andre Agassi and Stephanie Graf. Today they could be doing nothing but they decided to take care of others, through the Andre Agassi Foundation for Education, and Stephanie Graf is working with Children for Tomorrow. Andre is helping children to have a better education, Stephanie is helping children traumatised by war. And that for us is real elegant attitude.” 

Before taking his leave, I slip in another question. Is Longines considering any of the younger Indian stars as their next ambassador after Ash? “Oh but she’s very young!” he exclaimed and we parted ways on a big laugh.