Racing cancelled in Dubai after death.

RACING at Jebel Ali on Friday afternoon was cancelled as a mark of respect after the death of His Highness Sheikh Rashid Bin Ahmad Al Mualla, Ruler of Umm Al Quwain, who passed away on Friday morning in London.

Umm Al Quwan is one of the seven Emirates, of which Dubai is the best known, which compose the United Arab Emirates.

Sheikh Rashid Bin Ahmad Al Mualla, who built one of the first racecourses in the UAE which is still used as a training track in Umm Al Quwain, has enjoyed notable success on local racecourses - most recently with the Allan Smith-trained Skoozi who won the opening round of the Maktoum Challenge in 2002 and was then runner-up to Grey Memo in that year's Godolphin Mile.

Smith then campaigned a string of the Sheikh's horses in Europe, from a base in Belguim, including Skoozi who was sixth in the Diomed Stakes on Derby Day in 2002. In the same year, Fueguino was beaten a short-head by subsequent 2004 Dubai Sheema Classic winner Polish Summer.

His colours have been far less obvious on racecourses in the last few seasons with a sole winner in each of the last three campaigns.

Racecourse management and the local racing authorities are looking to try and stage the cancelled meeting next Friday.