HAPPY HUMP DAY: DUBAI

Some camels came down from Abu Dharbi for the race trials

While top of my lifetime bucket list has always been Meydan Racecourse, and a night of Arabian and Thoroughbred racing, I can't tell you how much fun I had at the Al Marmoum Camel Races.  It was defiantly a highlight of my trip; that can always be gauged by the miles I cry tears of joy for down the road when leaving an event.  I'm a racing degenerate and a want-to-be-photographer with a passion for other cultures and all things different.  Nothing was going to keep me from the camel races.  On my first adventure to Al Marmoum I was excited to find the track and see some trains going out to work but hugely disappointed when I went into the club and learned the races had been canceled due to "Christmas?" Christmas, gets in the way of everything.  The only thing I worship are the 'Horse Gods' and  race meetings are sacred taking precedence over all else.  I was coming back to Dubai early in the New Year but just knew I'd get some shots that day.

The big camels being ridden are what I call 'Pony-Camels' and the little guys being led are the juveniles going out to starting gate trials.  

On my way out of the track one of the guys taking camels back to their pens said there would be races in about one hour down a back training track at the 1200 meter pole.  Awesome!  Sadly, I don't speak Arabic or any other language for that matter but everyone understands my universal favorite, 'little English.' What he meant was trials.  These weren't actually races like race day but trials for the purpose of getting baby camels, yearlings in training, used to the starting gate and they would only be traveling down the track for 1200 meters.  This was so much better for my first time at the camel track because these weren't as formal and I could get up close to see the action where they gathered at the 1200m. pole.

Muzzles prevent spitting and biting, and snout socks keep the dust out.

Getting the Botjocks armed

Lined up ready to go to gate.

At the starting barrier which goes straight up

The starting gate

They're Off

 

All westerners have a novel and exotic experience at the camel races and blog about it so I'll go over the facts briefly.  Today the jockeys are robots and not small children, that was outlawed early in the century. The lighter weight of the remote controlled whip, wielding botjocks has significantly increase the record speeds of the camels.  I have read 'on the internet' that camels travel between 20 to 40 miles per hour.  Don't believe everything you read on the internet.  Since thoroughbred racehorses reach 35 miles per hour and greyhounds 43 miles per hour and camels are slower, I'm going with 30 miles per hour as being closet to the truth.  They start off erratic and keen then about halfway round get tired because the races are much longer than horse races.  The longest horse race is about 2 miles, 3200 meters or 16 furlongs but the camel races at the race day I attended, started from the 5000 meter pole, that's 3.18 miles or 25 furlongs.  It is also possible that the trainers with the remote controls easy up on the camels around the backside of the track so they can get their second wind for the sprint down the homestretch, where the robots get busy with their whip action.

I know this because I was lucky enough to be invited to ride around the track in the vehicle with the  official video recorder on top of it.  Each race takes a good deal of time to run with stragglers ambling down the straight lengths apart, so there is no time between races.  As soon as the first camel passes the finish post the next race is off and so is the video truck and the trainers in their vehicles with the remote controls.
Track video recorder.

You can't cover both the start and the finish, you have to make a choice.  Both are interesting.  The fields are big and each starting stall holds about six camels.  Because they come out going every which-way they have to split them up in a real race.  At the end of the race they run down into a shoot and the handlers jump in and catch their charges on the hoof--it's a little bit hairy.

Camel racing is of course a tradition from 'before oil' days that was usually practiced at weddings and special events.  Then  AO, it became one of the many traditions that was feared might be lost, on the contrary camel racing  is now bigger and more professional than ever.  Not only is the industry hosting huge money purses and festivals, but scientific breeding and training methods have taken the once tribal entertainment to a high level sport.  Those tourists who are willing to leave the shopping malls, and hotels and bars, (women like me) to venture out of town are starting to frequent the meetings.  Let's face it, you can't take a bad picture at a camel race, they're all good and the characters are wonderful and so, so, nice.
FYI: I rented a car and drove everywhere by myself.  The camel track is easy to find and I went to a new strip mall the other side of the highway (I think it was Al Lisaili Market) where I found a tack store for camel supplies and bought a camel racing blanket and a couple of muzzles to hang on my wall (I like different souvenirs. My most prized possession is a dog bootie from the Iditarod).  Actually, some guys drove over there in front of me so I could find the tack store.