"It would be a large irony, indeed, if Magnier & Co. pulled a Kentucky Derby runner out of the UAE Derby hat in Sheikh Mohammed's backyard."

"I wonder whether, after this spectacular World Cup, the true tradition of horse racing in Dubai -- the family tradition -- will endure."

Of the 38 races run over Meydan's Tapeta track, only three have been won by front-runners. "Four have been taken by horses pressing the pace or tracking the leader, with nine taken by trackers in third, fourth or fifth. Winners coming from mid-pack in fields of at least 10 horses number 15, while seven have come from at or near the back of the pack. So 58 percent of this season's Meydan synthetic winners - 22 of 38 - have been closers." Quite different from what one jockey expected prior to Meydan's opening: "Horses coming up from behind will find it very difficult so it’s going to suit horses that like racing up in the first five." (From: http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100114/SPORT/701139915/1004/sport)