Mahmood Al Zarooni
©Frank Sorge
Mahmood (far right) pictured with H.H. Sheikh Mohammed and Simon Crisford at Meydan, Dubai
©Andrew Watkins
Calming Influence pictured with Ahmed Ajtebi, H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum and trainer Mahmood Al Zarooni (far right)
©Frank Sorge
Mahmood accepts the trophy after Calming Influence's success in the G2 Godolphin Mile at Meydan in March 2010
©Feroz Khan
Name: Mahmood Al Zarooni
Job Title: Trainer
Mahmood Al Zarooni was appointed as a Godolphin trainer on March 24, 2010, three days before the tremendous Dubai World Cup fixture at the much-acclaimed new racetrack of Meydan in his native Dubai.
He said: “Becoming a Godolphin trainer is a great honour.
“I am very thankful to everyone, especially H. H. Sheikh Mohammed, who has given me so much support. I have learnt a lot from His Highness about the welfare and training of horses.
“He has always been very helpful and is responsible for providing me with this fantastic opportunity.”
Mahmood Al Zarooni enjoyed a dream start to his new role when his first runner, Calming Influence, landed a famous victory in the Group Two Godolphin Mile on March 27, 2010.
In the US$10-million Dubai World Cup later that evening, the young trainer had the thrill of saddling Allybar and then watching as the four-year-old came within a nose and a short-head of winning the world’s richest horse race.
Ahmed Ajtebi was in the saddle on both occasions and will ride most of the Godolphin horses entrusted to Mahmood Al Zarooni’s care. The pair go back a long way, having formed a friendship while working for Emirati trainer Ali Al Raihe in Dubai.
The trainer’s first British winner came with his third runner in the country, Lion Mountain, at Pontefract on April 28, 2010.
Born on October 15, 1976, close to Dubai Creek in the Naif area of what is now the Deira side of the city, Mahmood Al Zarooni developed a passion for horses when, at around age 17, he started riding in the desert.
Some experience was gained participating in endurance qualifiers, which he did for enjoyment rather than any desire to make the grade as a top rider, but his initial grounding in the world of horseracing came in the mid 1990s with trainer Rod Simpson, who at the time had a string of three-year-old UAE-bred Purebred Arabians.
Mahmood Al Zarooni spent a season and a half with Rod Simpson at the Ghantoot Racing Club on the outskirts of Dubai, progressing from the position of groom to assistant trainer.
In 1999, he moved to the Sharjah stables of Ali Al Raihe where he gained his first experience of working with Thoroughbreds. Two years later, upon the invitation of H. H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the string relocated from Sharjah to Metropolitan Stables in Dubai. In 2003, the increasingly successful Ali Al Raihe and his assistant moved again, this time to Grandstand Stables.
Mahmood Al Zarooni learnt a great deal from his years with Rod Simpson and Ali Al Raihe. His horsemanship skills were nurtured and sage advice was received.
While working for Ali Al Raihe, he developed a talent for dealing with unruly horses, notably the talented but notoriously difficult Tropical Star. Few people could handle the temperamental sprinter but Mahmood Al Zarooni would take the time, sometimes an hour or more, to saddle and bridle the recalcitrant gelding.
Mahmood Al Zarooni’s education on the Dubai horseracing circuit also included quietly observing top trainers who came to the UAE to compete at the Dubai International Racing Carnival.
An opportunity arose ahead of the 2008/2009 Dubai season when H. H. Sheikh Mohammed took him to assist Mubarak bin Shafya at Al Asifa Stables in Dubai. There he teamed up again with Ahmed Ajtebi and great success followed.
He sampled what major international triumphs feel like when Mubarak bin Shafya saddled a remarkable double at the 2009 Dubai World Cup meeting as Ahmed Ajtebi partnered Gladiatorus to success in the Group One US$5-million Dubai Duty Free and then rode Eastern Anthem to a pulsating last-gasp triumph in the Group One US$5-million Dubai Sheema Classic.
Following those victories, H. H. Sheikh Mohammed asked Mahmood Al Zarooni to join the Godolphin team as one of Saeed bin Suroor’s assistants. He gained valuable knowledge during his first season in Newmarket during that year when the operation posted a best ever 148 winners in Britain and enjoyed Classic success thanks to Mastery’s St Leger victory.
After a further winter with Saeed bin Suroor in Dubai, Mahmood Al Zarooni was ready to step into the role of being a Godolphin trainer ahead of the 2010 campaign in Europe and beyond.
He operates out of Moulton Paddocks in Newmarket during the European season, while his winter base is Al Asifa Stables in Dubai.
Mahmood Al Zarooni added: “Godolphin’s racing manager Simon Crisford has been a great help and it has been good working with Saeed bin Suroor.
“I also learnt plenty in my early days with Rod Simpson and Ali Al Raihe and now I have this great opportunity to train some wonderful horses.”