Morocco has a population of more than 33 million, and covers more than 172,000 square miles, yet it is still a surprise to learn that the North African/Mediterranean country has a thriving racing industry. Unless you’ve been there – and even if you have – who knew?
That, though, is about to change. In a country where horses, donkeys and mules are still commonplace on busy city streets, Moroccans love of equines extends to making them go fast. It’s part of their culture, and racing here is big business.
It’s an industry which is fuelled – unusually for a majority Muslim country – by gambling. It employs 30,000 people and has about 1000 registered owners. It’s doing so well, in fact, that they have recently opened a seventh racecourse, in Marrakech, some three hours’ drive away from the epicentre of the sport in Rabat, Casablanca – Morocco’s Newmarket.
Hippodrome de Marrakech had quite the opening; welcoming some 600 delegates from the annual World Arabian Horse Racing Conference; part of the Abu Dhabi-based Sheikh Mansour Festival, which promotes Purebred Arabian racing around the world. As such, Marrakech provided an all-Arabian card, which gave opportunities for lady riders, as well as apprentices, with Britain’s Gemma Tutty among those in action. [She finished a creditable second, for the record.]
Omar Skalli, Director General of SOREC, Morocco’s Jockey Club, explained the need for expansion, which is being driven by a wish to modernise. “We organise 2000 races a year, and we don’t really have good enough facilities which meet international standards, so our plan is to have three new racetracks, of which Marrakech is one of them,” he says.
“We have big plans, and hopefully in four or five years we will open the other two new tracks. We are also re-building the facilities at Rabat.”
All the racing and training in Morocco takes place on sand, with around 60 per cent of the races for Thoroughbreds, many of which are bred in the country. French influences abound, however, and the government assists breeders financially if they send mares to a French stallion. They are very keen to improve the local breed and, in time, make Morocco a fixture on the international racing stage. With that in mind, they hosted an international weekend at Rabat last November, with a day dedicated to Thoroughbreds and one for Purebred Arabians.
“It’s a very professional operation and they’ve had some good support to start with and I’m sure there’s more coming,” says Neil Abrahams, who brought the UAE-based President’s Cup series to Rabat, hosting a race during the international weekend. “It’s a growing industry. I think if you take a look back again in another ten years, with the influx of foreign blood, they will have reinvented the breed.”
Morocco has an advantage other some other racing jurisdictions, including those in the Middle East, in that the climate is temperate enough to rear young stock on grass. Dr Azzedine Sedrati, who runs the impressive FAL Stud, breeds both Thoroughbreds and Arabians and has more than 150 mares, including Marie Vision, dam of Prix Jockey Club winner The Grey Gatsby. He s