Last Saturday Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum invited the world to discover how his latest vision worked out: the state-of-the-art Meydan racecourse, announced less than 3 years ago, opened its doors to the wider public.
You still can't bet on any of the races (it's illegal here), but if you were a jockey you had a chance to win big: the richest race saw its prize money increasing from last year's $USD6,00 Mio to a record $USD10,00 Mio - tax-free!
Even the otherwise strictly enforced Islamic rules of the Emirate were slightly eased for one night: until midnight guests could drink as much booze as one could possibly stand, all under the open sky. A giant lightshow and fireworks (Earth Day, celebrated on the same night worldwide, was courteously ignored) marked the end of the races, before Elton John and Santana finished the party in style.
