Satish Seemar is one of racing’s pioneers. He excelled at a variety of sports in his native India, studied at universities in New Delhi and California and worked with renowned American ‘horse whisperer’ Monty Roberts. And then, 30 years ago, he chose to begin his training career in the then racing backwater of the UAE when the industry there had barely begun.
It was a bold move, but it has more than paid off as Seemar helped the jurisdiction flourish and has built a towering career there. He has been a multi-champion trainer and gained international recognition as the first UAE-based conditioner to win races in Europe.
Who do you think is the most important figure in the history of racing around the world?
For me, and I am not being biased because of who I work for or where I am training, it would have to be Sheikh Mohammed.
There are many reasons for my answer, not just because he is a top owner and breeder but also for the fact that he has supported racing so much over the years. For example, when Chantilly Racecourse needed financial support during their renovations, he was one of the first people to contribute to the work, along with the Aga Khan. He first invested in racing in the countries where the industry was strongest, like the United States and the UK, and only when he was fully confident of his operation did he bring racing to his own home country.
I am the living proof of the success of that venture as I have been here since day one and have seen every step from then until now. His philosophy was that everything had to be done right to international standards, not just because he was the ruler of Dubai or that he had the money to do it.
One of his achievements that has impressed me the most is the Darley Flying Start programme. For the past 15 years or so, 12 of the brightest students from around the world have been selected to take part in this wonderful programme, and I have been indirectly involved during their time here in Dubai. Sheikh Mohammed has created the future ambassadors of racing. When I speak with the group each year, I always tell them, “You are the 12 luckiest people in the racing industry and, if you don’t make it in this business, it is nobody’s fault but your own. You have not been given a silver spoon, but instead a golden spoon.”
I would have been in heaven if that programme had existed when I was a younger man. Wherever I go in the world on my travels, I meet past students and they are always eager to help as that is the way they have been trained. That is a huge compliment to His Highness as he created and funds the programme not for his own gain but for the benefit of the industry.
For me I do not think anyone else in this industry holds such a position of influence or has invested as heavily in the future of our industry as Sheikh Mohammed.
What is your favourite racing venue and race?
As a horseman and trainer, we all want to win the big races that have such prestigious history behind them like the Kentucky Derby and the Epsom Derby. I am going to be biased here, though, and say the Dubai World Cup, which is one of the most unique races and events involving the rest of the world. All the foreign trainers based here want to win it, and we have gotten a little closer over the years but I believe we will do it sometime soon. I am being positive about it!
For a small country, the UAE has five decent racecourses and each one has its own identity. Meydan is the epitome of the Dubai personality. Everything is grand here, so the grandstand is the most impressive in the world. Five star is not good enough in Dubai. We are always searching to provide the seven-star experience.
What is your fondest memory in racing?
It would have to be the inauguration of the Dubai World Cup. I am one of the fortunate ones to have witnessed first-hand the development of racing in the UAE from the very beginning. Dubai has come so far in 30 years while it has taken other countries hundreds of years to achieve anything similar. It was a massive learning curve for me, and I was honoured to be part of it all.
Racing-wise it would be winning the Golden Shaheen on Dubai World Cup day in2013 with one of my favourite horses, Reynaldothewizard (see video below). He was such a pet here in the yard [he was already a 7-year-old then] and stayed with us until he was 12 years of age. He ran in that race five times and always produced a good performance. Another great memory in my training career was in 1993 when Dayflower won the Middleton Stakes at York and became the first horse trained in Dubai to win on an international stage.
What is the biggest challenge that racing faces today?
I think the biggest challenge to racing currently is the lack of unity between different governing bodies around the world. Everybody is doing their own thing. I don’t know if it is possible but, in an ideal world, there would be more similarity in rules and regulations internationally with everybody working together for a common goal. Without that, racing will slip downhill.
Lately there has been quite a lot of negative press around racing in places like California, which doesn’t help the industry at all. I am very positive about racing here in the Middle East with the emergence of Qatar and Saudi Arabia in recent years, following in the footsteps of Dubai. I think if these three nations can work together, they would become a golden triangle in racing and a force to be reckoned with internationally.
If you could change one thing in racing, what would it be?
I would love to see the next generation become more involved in racing. The country that is doing the best job of that from my personal observation is Australia. They have understood that we need to move with the times to protect the future of our sport. We understand that we need new equine blood for our industry to continue to thrive and improve but we tend to forget that we need new human blood to survive too.
I have noticed what a good job Australia are doing to counteract that when I have visited there, but it needs to happen around the world.