DUBAI // For Emirati jockey Saeed Al Mazrooei, Ramadan is still a time to be active.
While he will rein in his activity this year because of injury, the aspiring professional rider said the holy month does not provide an excuse to be lazy.
“I haven’t spent Ramadan in the UAE for the past five years because I’ve been doing my horse apprenticeship abroad,” the 29-year-old Dubai native said. “I’m happy to be spending this one in the UAE.”
The young rider’s talent has caught the attention of the Emirates Racing Authority and Dubai Racing Club. He was sponsored to attend distinguished schools for jockeys in South Africa, Ireland and Australia while pursuing his dream of becoming a world-class jockey.
Apprenticeship work and Ramadan wasn’t always easy for Mr Al Mazrooei while abroad.
“In Australia I remember breaking my fast at 10pm and having to get up at 4am for early morning track work,” he said. “It wasn’t easy at all.”
Mr Al Mazrooei has 30 career wins so far, including one in a listed race at Meydan last season.
This Ramadan, he is recovering from surgery to remove a metal plate from his collarbone. It had to be inserted last year following injury. While he cannot ride for a few weeks, he will still be working on his fitness.
“I’ve been enjoying the third edition of Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid’s Nad Al Sheba Ramadan Sports Tournament,” he said.
“I’ve been playing volleyball but there’s something for everyone. It’s a positively contagious atmosphere. It’s nice to see so many people take part in it year after year. Ramadan nights are not all about just sitting down. You can make it fun and competitive too.”
That’s not to say Mr Al Mazrooei does not enjoy more traditional aspects of Ramadan, such as long nights of hanging out at friends’ and family’s majlises.
“Hanging out during Ramadan has a special feeling,” he said.
“There’s a special bond of coming together in a way people no longer experience throughout the year. It’s a refreshing annual reminder of neighbourly values of closeness and visitations.”
Luckily for Mr Al Mazrooei, he is genetically blessed and does not put on weight easily so staying away from Ramadan’s calorific Emirati staples is not an issue for him.
“As a jockey I do have to keep my weight within a certain limit but luckily for me I can indulge in the holy month’s delicious food staples every once in a while.”
He is going to do his military service after Eid and is looking forward to the beginning of the new racing season in November, when he will be riding as a professional jockey for the first time.
nalremeithi@thenational.ae
