He ushered in the New Year by riding a horse into a cowboy-apparel store in Aspen, Colorado and now the world’s richest man is vying for a share of the $4 million prize pot on offer at this week’s 16th Dubai International Arabian Horse Championship (DIAHC).
Jeff Bezos, the visionary chief executive who turned Amazon, a basic online store into a technology powerhouse, has sent a prized Purebred Arabian horse to Dubai to compete in the annual beauty pageant held at the Dubai International Convention Centre.
No details are available on the horse that will face rivals from 18 countries in what is one of the biggest and most prestigious horse shows in the world.
Unofficial reports reveal that Bezos, who is estimated to be worth over $130 billion, will be represented at the Dubai Horse Show by his only daughter.
Bezos’ love for horses is not surprising as he worked on his grandfather’s South Texas ranch while growing up.
The DIAHC, which was first staged in 2004, is held under the patronage of Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance.
Ziad Galadari, the chairman and the driving force behind the DIAHC, said the participation on a horse owned by Bezos instantly raises the profile of the March 21-23 event.
“It was always the dream of His Highness Shaikh Hamdan to attract the best horses in the world, but little did he know that it would also attract the attention of the richest man in the world,” he said.
“Bezos is internationally recognised as an entrepreneur, investor, philanthropist and visionary and to have him compete at our show, here in Dubai, is a massive boost for the DIAHC. “Without doubt Shaikh Hamdan will be thrilled to know that am event that he created through his passion for horses, has caught the attention of someone like Bezos.”
Galadari pointed out that this year’s renewal of the DIAHC, a prestigious competition for Purebred Arabian show horses who will be judged on their beauty, agility and breeding, will also see a slice of history being made with the first-time participation of a horse from China.
“This is ground breaking to have a horse from Asia compete at our show,” Galadari said. “Obviously we are all looking forward to seeing how the horse fairs and we wish them luck.
“But more importantly, we hope that this will throw open the doors to other countries and encourage them to bring horses to compete in Dubai.
“The DIAHC has grown in leaps and bounds since it was first held in 2004 and this is another major step forward. We are very excited,” he said.
As many as 220 of the highest quality Arabian show horses, representing 19 countries, will be competing for top honours in six championship classes.
The horses will compete in 16 qualifying classes with the top three in each of the six classes going through the championship finals on Saturday, March 23.
Galadari also highlighted the strength and quality of this year’s show, which features several changes.
“We’ve had over 400 horses compete here in the past but the committee decided this year that we want the very best Purebred Arabian show horses from around the world to participate,” he said.
“It’s not about numbers, it’s about quality. We believe that with the standard being so high the competition will also be very fierce.
