23-year-old granddaughter of Sayyedati’s owner Mohamed Obaida is breaking new ground at Meydan as the Dubai World Cup Carnival for 2023 gets into full swing. She talks to Laura King about her hopes for the future.
UAE: Whatever the circumstances, 23 is a young age to start training. But what about when you’re making a small slice of history into the bargain?
Well, that’s precisely what Maitha Alsuwaidi is doing. She’s the first female Emirati to hold a training licence at Dubai’s iconic Meydan racecourse and just the second to hold one at all. (Abu Dhabi-based Salala Al Ghurair was the first.)
While you might not have heard of Alsuwaidi until a few seconds ago, you will recognize her famous family’s red and dark blue silks. Her grandfather Mohamed Obaida owned 1993 1000 Guineas winner Sayyedati and more recently, the likes of G2 winner Dubai Honour and Ascot Gold Cup runner-up Nayef Road have carried his colours.
Maitha has caught the racing bug in a big way and her own silks, which have more than a passing resemblance to those of her grandfather, were carried to G3 success by Meraas at last year’s Dubai Carnival.
Meraas represented former UAE champion trainer Musabbeh Al Mheiri, whom Alsuwaidi was shadowing as one of the first steps on a steep training ladder after her arrival onto Dubai’s close-knit racing scene around 18 months ago.
Now, though, she has a handful of boxes in her own right at Meydan’s Millennium Stable, where her neighbours include Simon Crisford and Ismail Mohammed.
Diminutive but fiercely ambitious, Alsuwaidi is keen to do things the right way rather than rushing in to saddle her first runner, as many in her position might.
‘I tried for full marks but I made some mistakes’
“I’m very grateful for this opportunity,” she says, offering breakfast hospitality for anyone passing her barn. “The ERA [Emirates Racing Authority] have been very supportive of me getting my licence. Thankfully I passed the trainers’ test with one of the highest scores in recent years. I tried for full marks but I did make some mistakes!”
That she passed comes as no surprise, as Alsuwaidi has been brought up around horses and has made it her mission to soak up all she can about training from those around her.
“I love horses,” she says. “I graduated nearly two years ago with a degree in international affairs but I wish it was equine affairs!
‘Office job didn’t suit me’
“I felt that the office job didn’t suit me,” she goes on. “I have a lot of love for Thoroughbred breeding and Thoroughbred and Arabian racing, so this seemed like the only job which was right for me.
“I try to socialize with a lot of trainers and assistant trainers here at the track to gather as many tips as I can. I go to Newmarket to learn from trainers there, plus this year I also attended some lectures at the National Stud, so I’m trying to educate myself as much as I can.”
Alsuwaidi points to an ambitious streak. “I’m so competitive,” she says. “I don’t want to just tell people I have a training licence, I want to have certificates and be properly qualified. I don’t mind going for short courses and I’ve done some online ones – I want to learn as much as I can.
“I think the biggest mistake my father made was taking me to Darley and Dalham Hall in Newmarket because I didn’t want to leave! Even the offices are amazing, with the trophies and timeline of the Thoroughbred, I loved all the history.”
Alsuwaidi’s father, Salem Belobaida, is a successful owner and breeder. He is his daughter’s main backer, renting the boxes and providing the bulk of the seven horses she currently has in training.
He hasn’t given her everything entirely on a plate, however, as the horses are ‘projects’ and have had plenty of time off. They include Santa Anita winner Magnificent McCool, a six-year-old son of Giant’s Causeway, and Sandown winner Magic J.
Pedigree nerd
Both were previously owned by Phoenix Thoroughbreds and they have superb pedigrees, something of which their trainer is aware being, in her words, “a real pedigree nerd”.
She says: “I love studying pedigrees. Even though people say that the pedigree only contributes so much and conformation is more important, I still love the science of breeding.
“I grew up watching my dad and Grandfather with Tattersalls sales books and watching them go to Royal Ascot,” continues Alsuwaidi, who lists Charlie Appleby and William Haggas as her favourite trainers.
“I might have not been around for Sayyedati but she was very special,” she adds. “When I became a trainer, my grandfather told my dad, ‘Give her a filly who has Sayyedati in her pedigree,’ so he’s really proud of that and always wants to breed from that line.
“However, we’ve been trying to mix bloodlines a bit more recently. Because of my success with Meraas we’re breeding more for speed now.”
Originally trained by Mark Johnston before moving to Al Mheiri, the Oasis Dream gelding won on UAE debut last season before storming home in the G3 Al Shindagha Sprint. He is now with Chad Summers in the US, where he scored for Alsuwaidi at Aqueduct on December 30. The Riyadh Dirt Sprint is now being considered for the six-year-old.
“Meraas was my first Thoroughbred in my silks,” she explains. “We didn’t think he would rise to that level. I think it’s nice to give horses a second chance in Dubai if they’re not working out in the UK.”
Alsuwaidi intends to continue in that same vein as a trainer, but with the UAE season only running from the end of October until the start of April, time is running out.
“I try to be patient, but there’s pressure as the season is so short and everybody keeps asking: ‘When will you have your first runner?’ I’m trying as hard as I can. The horses I have may not be 100% ready, but if they’re fit enough then we’ll race them.”
Sport of kings and queens
Even if Alsuwaidi doesn’t make it to the track this season with her string, she’s doing a good job as an ambassador for the sport, actively trying to encourage others into ownership.
“I love Flat racing – I see it as the best sport and I would never go to another,” she explains. “It’s the most prestigious – the sport of kings and queens. I’m very competitive but even if I don’t win, it just motivates me to keep going and do better.
“I’d like to encourage others and see more girls in the sport, perhaps as owners. I think once people see it properly and have their first winner, they’ll be motivated to continue.”
Motivation is not something Maitha is struggling with. Asked what her long-term ambitions are, she doesn’t hesitate: “I need a Group 1 winner – not Group 3, Group 1.”
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