Dubai's Meydan Racecourse Announces It Will Replace Tapeta All-Weather Surface

Meydan racing officials announced on Wednesday that the "Tapeta all-weather surface at Dubai’s Meydan Racecourse will be replaced by a dirt track," according to Leslie Wilson Jr. of GULF NEWS. The decision comes "just five years after the artificial race track, which was developed by steeple-chasing Hall Of Famer Michael Dickinson, made a much-publicised debut at the iconic racecourse," which is home to the $10M "Dubai World Cup (G1), the world's richest horse race." Since then, however, the surface has "had to endure some of the harshest criticism." Meydan Group CEO & Chair Saeed Al Tayer said, "This is a decision that will be best for the future of Meydan racing and the Dubai World Cup Carnival." The "switch to Tapeta has also seen a significant drop in the number of American-trained horses competing at the Dubai World Cup Carnival." UAE PM Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum said, "If you ask me, the race is not as strong as it used to be and that’s because the Americans are not here" (GULF NEWS, 5/14).