Camels come of age at UAE's summer races

Racing young camels is a recent development. Mature camels race during the main season from late September until March or April.

An early morning camel race in Ras al Khaimah.

RAS AL KHAIMAH // Young camels arrive at the racetrack as the sun rises over the desert. It's 5am on a Friday and the first race of the hot season is about to start.

They come two by two, each pair led by an old "grandfather" camel.

They are between 18 and 24 months old. They stand at the start line, a gangly collection of skinny necks and knobbly legs. The athletes among them include four brothers, all named Shaheen, and a camel called Barcelona.

Summertime is when the camel comes of age, and this will be the first race of several young lives.

"This afternoon everybody will talk about it," said Hamad Al Khatri, 31, who has come to race his shy camel called Mahloul. "People will see the race, they will time it and they will see who breaks the record."

The morning is cool and damp and the smell of camel dung and men's oud hang in the air.

There are prizes of cash and khanjar daggers up for grabs in the day's fifteen 1.5km races, but today is mainly about investment for the future, not profit or prestige.

"In summer we only ride the young camels to qualify which one will become big and which one will become the best," said Abdulla Al Khatri, 23. "In winter, we race to win the cars. In summer, it's only training."

Racing young camels is a recent development that came about as the sport's prestige, and prize money, has grown.

Mature camels race during the main season from late September until March or April. A fast camel can win its owner several 4x4s in a season and sell for millions of dirhams.

However, in summer the adult camels are expected to rest. This ensures good health and increases the prospect of big wins next season.

Young camels are not given this respite. Summer is when the juveniles first enter the track, and when the camel owners scout out young talent available at low prices.

For breeders, it is a chance to sell youngsters to make a quick sale, and to avoid the cost of feeding and training them over the summer.

Camels do not normally race until they are at least two years old, and many of the older generation of breeders are opposed to racing youngsters as their bones and muscles are still growing.

Dehydration from the heat can also cause permanent kidney damage.

"Sheikh Zayed refused to have this idea because they're still babies, how do you race the baby?" said Hamad. "This is smart. They would train but they would not race.

"People, they do races now for business. People are looking to buy the young," added Hamad.

Camel racing began as a casual event at celebrations. It was then unthinkable to risk the health of a young camel or to race in the heat when water was so scarce.

Today, it is a question of economics. "I can pay Dh150,000 to Dh200,000 for a camel now and after he will sell for one or Dh1.5 million," said Abdullah Hamed, who is racing five camels today, all sired by the same father.

"People who are not so rich can race these camels, but it's the same as another race: somebody wins, somebody loses."

The fastest camels sell in the first race or two and then rest for the summer. The camel that races in July will not have the strength for the winter.

"If the camel gets used a lot in summer, then he's not going to help you in winter," said Hamad. "That's why people buy the most in the first or second race."

In summer, camels train at 2am or 3am. They typically walk or jog about 20km in the dark.

"When they're small we do lots of lessons, every day of the year," said Mohammed Murshed, 30, a Bangladeshi who has trained camels for 15 years. "Every day we have to exercise it. In the day it must sleep or it will be tired."

He brought Hamloulah, a blonde 15-month-old camel, to the track.

Hamloulah kept her head tucked against the head of the calm older camel she arrived with.

She will not race this summer but she might still attract the attention of a buyer. Right now, she trains only in the evening.

The older camel relaxes her. "He was also young once," said Mr Murshed. "I just came to get her used to the race and for people to see her."

She may not prove her speed this summer, but Mr Murshed knows well that her beauty is clear to all.

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