With the goal of expanding its presence on the international racing scene, the Abu Dhabi Turf Club is set to debut the Abu Dhabi Gold Cup, a race worth US$1 million Feb. 7.
"The new race demonstrates the ambition and vision of Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan and the determination to take horse racing in Abu Dhabi to new levels," ADTC racing manager Ali Al Jaffal said about the Gulf Region's most valuable turf mile staged in 2026.
The race has already attracted plenty of attention, with group 2 winners Maljoom, Jonquil, Witness Stand, Quddwah, and Japan-based Strauss all nominated for the race. The promotion of the event will be furthered when a partnership with Churchill Downs will offer the winner of the 2026 Turf Classic (G1T) on Kentucky Derby Day an automatic invite to the 2027 Abu Dhabi Gold Cup.
One of the talented people tasked with making this goal a reality for the ADTC is Harrison Everett, a 26-year-old graduate of the Godolphin Flying Start program who joined the Club in October. On Jan. 1, he began his new role as Associate Manager, Racecourse Development.
Everett grew up in Australia on his parents' Thoroughbred broodmare operation, Meredith Park, gaining his love for the animal and the sport. Graduating with a degree in design from the University of New South Wales, Everett grew a passion for mixing the two when staying at his parents' farm during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now, as the ADTC is aiming to grow, Everett will get his opportunity to help design world-class equine facilities from "more of a horsemen's perspective."
Everett recently spoke with BloodHorse about his career, the future of the ADTC, his time in Kentucky working with Three Chimneys Farm, and much more.
BloodHorse: With your passion to design from a horsemen's perspective, what do you already have in mind for this new role?
Harrison Everett: Originally, our facility was built for personal entertainment. It wasn't built for large crowds or large fields of horses coming from overseas. The President Cup (for Purebred Arabians) is quite a historic race, and it does have foreign horses coming in. Although, with where (the ADTC is) going, we want to be more on the world stage.
There's going to be a lot of (ideas) from different clubs that we can take from the world's best racing jurisdictions, and we can combine those together to create what we believe is one of the best racing facilities in the world. That's really where we want to go.
There's a lot to look at when it comes to Equine welfare. It's a hot topic internationally, and we want to get ahead of the curve on that and be able to represent Abu Dhabi as having one of the highest standards of equine welfare in the world. That's something incredibly important for us all in the Club. We'll be looking into how we can cater that for both the ergonomics of the flow of the horse from (being saddled to reaching the barrier) and being able to look after the horse throughout the whole process of arriving at the track, racing, and then cooling down afterward and going either back to the trainer's facilities or potentially our own training facilities.
Something that is important, personally, is how we engage fans. The traditional sense of racing in the West would be you go from the parade ring to the bookmaker to watching the race, then back to the parade ring. As gambling rates drop, as people's interest sort of change and modernize, we've really got to cater to that and be able to create sections for agency where people can be continuously engaged within the environment. Especially here in Abu Dhabi, where gambling on horse racing has just become legal.
As we know, racing is a lot different from other sports in that you're not just sitting down in one seat like you would at football, rugby, or soccer; you're continuously moving around. It's a very sociable sport in many ways. I think that's something we'll be looking at with how we engage with our customers.
We're very keen on trying to expand and acquire additional land that we could set up a world-class training facility for international and local horses, both in the Arabian and Thoroughbred markets. Have a couple of different track types and surfaces, and really create a central hub for training that suits the Abu Dhabi climate and horse population. Enhancing our current veterinary care by developing a state-of-the-art veterinary clinic with a quarantine section, rehabilitation section—similar to what the Hong Kong Jockey Club has done with Conghua in mainland China. I think something like that here would be incredible and potentially on the cards.
BH: With the drive to host world-class racing, what is the ADTC's plan in terms of marketing it as an international racing destination?
HE: The Gold Cup helps pave the way for us with that. We've got a three-year plan to have that upgraded to a group 1. From the get-go, the prize money was always going to be a big component of it. February works well because it's just before Dubai's carnival really kicks off and all your good horses are coming over. With having US$1 million in prize money, we're able to get some good horses, and we've already had a bunch of interest. It's going to be a really, really good race. It's going to be a spectacle that, from a branding and marketing perspective, will show that the Club is serious and our commitment is there.
The Arabian racing is always a large component of what the Turf Club has been since the late 1970s. We need to keep it as a priority, but balancing it out with Thoroughbred racing will help get us onto that international stage with America, Ireland, England, and such. It's a balancing act, but it's something I think the Club is doing really well currently and will continue to improve from year to year.
BH: How does the partnership with Churchill Downs help with that goal?
HE: Why we wanted to go with Churchill is because of how well they're perceived internationally. You look at the (Kentucky) Oaks and Kentucky Derby, and it really is two days of racing that stops the nation and has enormous turnout. The team at Churchill see this partnership as a great step forward for both clubs, and they are as committed as we are to them. We really want to build partnerships with international clubs that have a good name, a good team of people, and all with the common goal that we want to improve racing and create a sport that is accessible to everyone.
Their commitment to infrastructure is incredible. There are not many other clubs around the world that are able to offer what Churchill offers to its patrons and guests. I think teaming up with a team like that, who are professional, well-received, and do an excellent job, is something that we want.
We want to be able to team up with those sorts of guys. Our path line is probably going to be a bit more boutique, but that element of being high-end and having top-quality horses for top-quality racing with great prize money and a great experience to go and watch is something we're really focused on. Churchill Downs has done that really, really well.
BH: Tell us a little bit about your parents' broodmare operation, Meredith Park?
HE: We bought that around 2003. We're small breeders, we've got about 20 mares. We're sort of winding down a bit on our mare side, trying to select quality over quantity, but we've got a 70% winner to runner ratio. We're not necessarily large-scale; we're happy to breed our horses and race them if they don't sell when we offer them at auction.
When you're breeding a horse and creating life, you need to be breeding something that is good, that will have a life, instead of breeding from a commercial sense so you can make a quick profit. I think that's something important from a welfare and moral perspective.
We're in the position where we're lucky enough to have access to breeding horses, we should be mindful on what we're breeding and what the next 10-30 years of that horse's existence is going to be. We try to rehome every horse that we have and reeducate them into leisure horses. Abu Dhabi Turf Club is going to be very committed to reeducating horses to be leisure horses. I think from a moral perspective, you have to look after your animal, and you have to think about what the outcome of you breeding that animal is.
BH: What was your time like with Godolphin Flying Start, and how has that shaped where you are now?
HE: My two years in the Flying Start program were unbelievable. The people we met, the places we saw, I was surrounded by a great group. It was always something that I wanted to do. I really started looking into it around 2019-20, around Covid when I went home.
I didn't really know what I wanted to do in design, but getting back to our farm and being back with the horses, that felt natural and real to me. I just couldn't see myself leaving the industry. I landed on the conclusion that maybe I could design barns and facilities of racetracks or farms. It is so unique and there's probably very limited people that understand a horse but then also understand the ergonomics and environment and be able to design it. I wanted to collaborate that together. I did a project internship on the Winx Stand at Royal Randwick in Sydney with Taylor Construction while at university. That sort of really secured it and was like, 'Okay, this is what I want to do.'
I saw Flying Start as a way to fast-track me to meet some of the best trainers, stud managers, and people in the world, and be able to travel. To get into that program, I wanted to elevate my experience and knowledge of how an animal behaves; the things that work and the things that don't work when you're operating in a variety of different facilities and environments.
I worked at Arrowfield Stud for about a year and a half. Then I went to Kentucky and worked at Three Chimneys for about eight months. During university, I also worked for a trainer, Jean Dubois, in the Southern Highlands, where our farm is. I was able to work with some great people and was successful enough to get onto the Flying Start and be with a great team of people and learn a bunch of different things.
BH: What was your experience like being in Kentucky with Three Chimneys?
HE: I was doing the foaling season there for them. I'd grown up foaling mares at Mom and Dad's farm, so I was familiar with it. But in Australia, we foal them outside, and in America and Europe, you mostly foal them inside instead. That was quite a culture shock.
The level and standard Three Chimneys did everything at, they're a phenomenal farm. I was there in the broodmare barn with the foaling team for the season and then went on to yearlings at the start of their prep. I got onto the Flying Start, so I had to leave.
Honestly, at the time, I wasn't too fazed if I didn't get onto the Flying Start. I was loving my time there so much at Three Chimneys. Then, being able to go to Keeneland for racing. It was just fantastic, I absolutely loved it.
BH: Looking ahead 5-10 years down the line, where are you all hoping Abu Dhabi Turf Club is in comparison to the region and world racing?
HE: It's a tricky question. Us as a Club have so much blue sky thinking. It feels like there is no roof. The ambition of the club is to make it commercial. We're not just going to be going out and spending a bunch of money; we'll spend it strategically within areas that we think will work and we'll be able to create something great. We could be anything, we really could.
There's so much going on here in this region. Abu Dhabi is growing so quickly. The population is growing; they're building so much. I suspect our Abu Dhabi Turf Club will be the exact same. We will be expanding and building to try to become one of the best internationally recognized racetracks in the world. It's very exciting to be able to be a part of it. I'm incredibly grateful to be a component of shaping history here within the region. It's something I've always been passionate about, trying to grow our industry. I feel like I've landed on my feet here with the Turf Club because it is blue sky thinking and anything is possible with us.
