'It would be great to continue my love of Flat racing all-year-round' - Khadijah Mellah part of fact-finding mission for ambitious young syndicate

Magnolia Cup-winning rider Khadijah Mellah has hoisted the flag for the up-and-coming My Racing Syndicate with trips to the UAE and now Saudi Arabia in a matter of days.

Having travelled to Dubai to go racing at Meydan and Jebel Ali, aspiring amateur jockey Mellah has the bit between her teeth as far as showcasing the mostly UAE-based syndicate is concerned. 

Speaking at King Abdulaziz racecourse, Mellah said: "My brother Abdus introduced me to the syndicate, trying to attract new audiences and advertise their syndicate within the UK scene. 

"For me as well, making progress and gaining traction within the Middle East is super beneficial and hugely important to me coming from a Muslim background."

Suleiman Altaf, a member of the Dubai World Cup notes team who also writes the form analysis for the racecards, founded the syndicate with his brother Abdul Ahad and Saad Khatri three years ago. Their aspirations are to allow racing fans to experience ownership accessibly and in a more budget-friendly way. 

The sense is this is only the beginning for the dynamic young team.

Khadijah Mellah after winning the 2019 Magnolia CupCredit: Dan Kitwood (Getty Images)

Altaf said: "It's a partnership with Consign Ltd which started off in the UK and once we have that trust building if you like, we can have some horses in Dubai. We always planned to have a number of horses in Dubai with multiple trainers.

"We're trying to expand into different countries in the Middle East like Saudi Arabia, but it's still in the early stages. There are multiple avenues to get horses over here, like UK sales and Dubai sales, while we also get horses from South America."

The syndicate has four horses at present, with the potential to expand and there is certainly every ambition to buy more.

Altaf said: "We have one in the UK with Consign, three in Dubai and potentially one in Saudi, that would be the minimum. One of the reasons for setting up the syndicate was to bring together the youth community in racing. I was 17 or 18 when it started and my brother was in his early 20s, Khadijah is also very young – it's about bringing young adults into racing."

On how the My Racing Syndicate was formed, Altaf explained: "It was started by me and my brother, we both got into racing from an early age. We're based in Dubai and go to the race meetings throughout the season. In 2022 we thought it was time to set up our own syndicate and get into horse ownership. 

"We got our first Arabian horse, who was based at Sharjah, and it was an educational entry into ownership. The following season we got our first thoroughbred, a three-year-old filly, while last year we bought a gelding from the sales. We also got a horse from Uruguay [Moonshiner] who is running at Meydan on Friday."

Moonshiner is trained by Julio Olascoaga, who saddles Giustino in the Saudi Derby on Saturday. The Dubai-based trainer has enjoyed notable success in the Emirates, and trained Auto Bahn to finish second to Forever Young in last year's UAE Derby. 

Mellah's brother, Abdus, was also a charity race rider for the Ebony Horse Club and is now an aspiring bloodstock agent. 

He said: "It started when I reached out to the syndicate, it was me asking whether they were interested in bloodstock services. I would say I'm a consultant when it comes to buying and selling horses in the UK, working with Consign to buy the right horses within a certain price range for the Middle East."

There is an impression of great determination among the trio, with Khadijah Mellah keen to put to use what she has learned from her experience in British racing. A high-profile addition to the cause thanks to her ground-breaking Magnolia Cup success in 2019, Mellah wants to push the syndicate to a bigger audience. 

She said: "There's a huge racing culture here and it's growing rapidly, I've learned a lot from UK racing and it would be great to continue my love of Flat racing all-year-round. 

"Through My Racing Syndicate I've met some interesting trainers with plans and ambitions to train horses in the UK and also here. This is an initial stage in our work together; we wanted to see how this trip went before discussing our long-term partnership, but it's been a very insightful experience. 

"It's about creating a partnership between Middle Eastern trainers, particularly given the wealth and prize-money here, and the quality of UK horses."

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