Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and UAE Defense Minister, has been praised for his decision to donate all Godolphin's earnings from Saturday’s Breeders Cup races to the National Thoroughbred Racing Association's Charities - New York Heroes Fund.
Tim Smith, Commissioner of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), and D.G. Van Clief Jr., Breeders' Cup President praised Sheikh Mohammed for his remarkable gesture at a Press conference in Manhattan on Wednesday, according to Khaleej Times.
"The donation of all Godolphin purse money from the World Thoroughbred Championships is an extraordinary gesture by Sheikh Mohammed," said Smith.
"We appreciate his generosity and his contribution to what promises to be a very special day of racing, and we wish his runners good luck on Saturday."
The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), Breeders' Cup Limited and the New York Racing Association (NYRA) have announced that the 18th running of the Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships, scheduled for Oct. 27 at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., will be dedicated to the families of New York firefighters, police officers, emergency services personnel and other victims in the surrounding communities who lost their lives as a result of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, according to NTRA website. The fund has raised over $3 million to date.
A special fund of NTRA Charities has been established to receive contributions, all of which will be earmarked to assist the children and spouses of the slain firefighters, police officers, emergency workers and victims. A minimum goal of $1 million has been established for this program by the NTRA and NYRA.
Sheikh Mohammed previously donated $5 million to the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund in September through a fund set up by Keeneland, said the Godolphin web site. He was at the Keeneland September Yearling sale when the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington occurred – Albawaba.com
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