The late President Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan was passionately involved with horse racing. The horse has always been an essential part of Arab life and Shaikh Zayed promoted all forms of equestrian sport - flat racing, dresssage and showjumping and endurance riding.

The late President Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan was passionately involved with horse racing.

The horse has always been an essential part of Arab life and Shaikh Zayed promoted all forms of equestrian sport - flat racing, dresssage and showjumping and endurance riding.

Shaikh Zayed was also keen on breeding of Purebred Arabian horses and invested heavily in this direction. But perhaps he was always be remembered as the proud owner of two of the greatest Purebred Arabian race horses - Alanudd (former called Unchained Melody) and Maha (Joyzell).

Alanudd, bred in the US, captured all the top Arabian races in the UAE during a phenomenal career that lasted seven years.

He is the only horse to win the Dubai Kahayla Classic on three occasions, a record that's likely to remain for a long time to come.

The horse's awesome record, and the manner of her victories only point towards the extraordinary vision Shaikh Zayed had to acquire a horse of her talents.

While winning 36 races out of the 37 she started, Alanudd was one of the most dominant winners, with most of the wins being pillar-to-post affairs.

Brilliant record

In 31 starts in the UAE, she demolished her rivals 30 times and every time the chestnut mare came out, she used to be greeted with loud applause that got louder as she majestically thundered down the home stretch, winning easily and convincingly.

Only twice in her career did Alanudd falter, once when she lost in 1995 to Vanissa Du Loup, and the next year, when she ran an uncharacteristic race but still won the National Day Cup in Abu Dhabi.

Her astounding record, both on turf and dirt, includes five Emirates Championships, five President's Cups, four National Day Cups, and the Maktoum Challenge. Alanudd also set three best-time records among Purebred Arabian horses in the UAE - 01 minute 40:12 seconds over a mile in Abu Dhabi in 1998; 02:13:34 over 2,000 metres at Nad Al Sheba in 1997; and 02:23:49 over 2,200 metres in Abu Dhabi in 1996.

Soon after she was retired to begin her new role as a brood-mare, her trainer Yancey Carter Jr. said: "She was a very pleasant horse to train, very sound both mentally and physically, and this was her greatest assets. Alanudd, with her excellent conformation, quality, speed and soundness, is an ideal brood mare."

Alanudd earned her place among the great champions that have race in the UAE alongside the great Cigar, Dubai Millennium and two time Dubai World cup winner Silver Charm.

Four years later, Yancey who along with Julian Smart train for HH The President's Stables in Abu Dhabi, led Mijdadd the first of the foals from Alanudd into the winner's enclosure.

Maha (Joyzell) was perhaps unlucky to have raced in the shadow of such a great horse as Alanudd.

But like Alanudd, Maha was a breed apart, sensationally winning 25 career starts. Shaikh Zayed also owned some other great Purebred Arabian horses like Ezil, Dent De Loup, Nez D'or and Tahar De Candelon.