Nothing to suggest Sheikh Mohammed's interest has waned

A persistent rumour doing the rounds in recent years is that Sheikh Mohammed's love for racing has waned. The passion that once compelled him to attend every racing festival throughout the summer is apparently not what it was.

This suggestion was lent credence by his recent absences from some of the bigger meetings. Conspiratorial whispers would circulate, as they did when the sheikh wasn't present at seminal parallel events like the Tattersalls Book 1 October Yearling Sales, or the equivalent yearling sales at Keeneland.