lit a candle 3h agoWatched Addeybb win at Royal Ascot with my dad a few years back and he pointed out the Dubai owner's colours, said that's Sheikh Ahmed's horse. Small thing but I never forgot it.
Their story
Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum was an Emirati public official, military commander, sports leader and racehorse owner whose life ran through Dubai's modern institutions. He died in Dubai on 21 September 2026 at the age of 76. Dubai declared ten days of official mourning, with flags at half-mast, and…
Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum was an Emirati public official, military commander, sports leader and racehorse owner whose life ran through Dubai's modern institutions. He died in Dubai on 21 September 2026 at the age of 76. Dubai declared ten days of official mourning, with flags at half-mast, and his brother Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, ruler of Dubai and UAE vice president and prime minister, led public tributes carried by Khaleej Times, Gulf News and international wires.
Born in Bur Dubai on 12 July 1950, he was the fourth and youngest son of Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum and Latifa bint Hamdan Al Nahyan, and the last surviving brother of Sheikh Mohammed. After graduating from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst he joined Dubai's Central Military Command and rose to commander-in-chief, helping develop the base into one of the UAE's leading military centres. He later served as Deputy Chairman of Dubai Police and Public Security, a role often highlighted in obituaries alongside his sporting work.
In business he built the Dubai Real Estate Centre from 1991, managing more than three thousand residential, commercial, retail and industrial units across Dubai. In 2019 he consolidated assets under A.R.M. Holding, an investment group spanning education, food and beverage, real estate, banking, telecommunications and hospitality. Sport remained equally central. He founded Al Wasl Sports Club in 1960 and chaired Al Wasl FC for roughly six decades, becoming synonymous with one of the UAE's most popular football clubs. He also helped create the Dubai International Marine Club and chaired it from 1988, securing UIM membership that made it the first such club in the Middle East and Africa.
As a horseman he founded Jebel Ali Racecourse to promote racing in the UAE and supported Al Adiyat and the Dubai Horse Racing Centre, including handicapping and rules work. His first major win came in 1982 when Wassl took the Irish 2000 Guineas and Craven Stakes. Later runners included Mtoto, winner of the 1988 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes after seven wins from ten starts, and Addeybb. Tributes after his death linked police service, Al Wasl and international racing as three lifelong chapters of Dubai public life.
Biography adapted from Wikipedia (Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum); Khaleej Times (21 Sep 2026); Gulf News (21 Sep 2026); The Independent; Dubai Media Office / Ruler's Court announcements.
In their own words
“Dubai has declared an official 10-day mourning period.”
“Flags will fly at half-mast throughout the mourning period.”
Photos
2Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
by People Forever
Dubai mourning announcement imagery for Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
by People Forever
Addeybb was a serious horse, great memory to have of your dad