Dubai and China : Racing vision

Meydan Extends Racing Vision With Significant China Partnership

Dubai Track To Host First International Race Meeting In Chengdu

Meydan officials today announced that a strategic partnership has been reached with the City of Chengdu and its Wenjiang district for the hosting of a race meeting to be held in the Chinese city later this year.
Located in the fertile southwestern area of China, Chengdu is one of the fastest growing cities in China and located in the Sichuan Province. It has a successful recent history in hosting equine sports. In 2010 Chengdu was the site of the Jimma Equestrian Sports and Culture Festival and served as the host of the China Equestrian Festival in both 2011 and 2012.
The Wenjiang area, located in the western area of the City of Chengdu, is referred to as a garden city with nearly 400,000 residents. Wenjiang is one of the models of China’s new era of urbanization.
The Meydan racing programme to be hosted in Wenjiang is tentatively scheduled for the month of October 2013 with an undetermined number of races to be offered.  The programme will be an international day of racing featuring horses and horsemen that frequent the Meydan racing season.
Meydan Group Chairman, Saeed H. Al Tayer said: “This is an exciting development that will further define the future of racing in China. It highlights the spirit of international cooperation that exists between Dubai, the UAE and China.  We will continue to develop our strategy in China and hope that his initial step will nurture the growth and development of this sport in China and the UAE.
“Information relating to quarantine, prize money, race conditions and other race specifics will be issued at a later date. As we are on the threshold of the 18th running of the Dubai World Cup, a world-famous contest that grew out of the vision and passion for racing that exists in this country, we are pleased to make this significant international announcement.  It is from the passion for racing and major events that we wish to share with our counterparts in China as well as the wider racing world.”

I wonder if they are envisioning having horses there permanently, or just a carnival like Dubai?