SHEIKH Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum, the man responsible for breeding and racing the dam of Dubawi, along with numerous other Group 1 winners, passed away earlier this week in Dubai.

The leading owner/breeder’s yellow and black silks were well-known across Europe, and particularly in Britain, where the vast majority of his horses were trained. Believed to be in his mid-70’s when he passed away, Sheikh Obaid was a cousin of Sheikh Mohammed.

Karl Burke, who trained Sheikh Obaid’s homebred Royal Champion to win the Bahrain Royal Trophy less than three months ago, was among those to pay tribute earlier this week. “It’s a shock,” Burke told the Press Association. “I was only talking to him earlier today and we discussed all the horses he was looking forward to for next season.

“I was due to meet him next week and it’s such sad news because he loved his horses and I know he was really looking forward to next year.

“I owe him a lot. He gave me a lot of responsibility to train all those good horses for him and he was a very good man.”

Inisherin and Rosallion were the most recent flagbearers for Sheikh Obaid, for whom Without A Fight won the 2023 Melbourne Cup. Emaraaty Ana, Defoe and Postponed are other top-flight winners to have carried his colours, but his influence is best illustrated by the multiple champion sire titles of Dubawi, who was bred out of Sheikh Obaid’s homebred Oaks d’Italia heroine Zomaradah.