ABU Dhabi was the capital of the horse racing world for a few days last week as it played host to more than 500 guests from 56 countries as part of the Global Arabian Horse Racing Festival and it proved to be a productive event full of networking opportunities for all involved.

Held under the auspices of HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed All Nahyan, a two-day conference on education and training in the racing industry formed the centre-piece of a five-day festival which included the finals of an international apprentice series plus the IFAHR Ladies World Championship and some events to promote the racing of Arabian-bred horses.