Rather puts the racing publications in a quandary regarding whether to report this or not.
It’s personal, not racing related. https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1146758/dubai-princess-haya-sheikh-mohammed-princess-latifa-detained-in-dubai-human-rights
I think there is a thread started in every discipline forum here on COTH now.
I commented in the eventing thread… but I’m still in shock.
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I’m not surprised. Why are you shocked? The Sheikh and some of his family members have done some very dubious doings over the years.
One of his daughters from his senior wife fled to the UK. and wanted to stay. His people forcibly took her back to the UAE and she hasn’t been in contact with her friends since. There have been other, much more sordid goings on in the past.
The Sheikh is not a good guy.
Princess Haya was only in the public eye (FEI) with her husband’s permission.
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Looking at that pic of the sheikh I am reminded of what Scarlett told Rhett that Mammy had told her.
I hope Haya is safe in Germany – interesting place for a person of Semitic blood to feel safe, but whatever.
Now can we get away from politics and current events – which this OP is – and back to racing?
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Sheikh Mohammed is Godolphin and Darley, known around the world as a huge presence in TB breeding and racing.
This is very much relevant to TB racing. The repercussions will be interesting and may or may not have an effect on the industry, depending on his reaction to this event.
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He has quite a presence here in Lex. He used to fly in a state 747 and bring his entire family, tipping airport staff more than generously. My connection had a horse in a maiden claimer at Keene land and the sheik and his bodyguards stood right on the steps at the saddling enclosure taking up quite a bit of room to observe their entrant who finished in the back, behind us even. I expect the family were in the Queens box.
He rides endurance horses himself and I believe is quite competitive.
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He rode endurance horses and was suspended by the FEI for 6 months riding a doped horse. https://inside.fei.org/system/files/…uly%202009.pdf
For the first time in the history of the FEI an entire National Federation, the UAE, of which Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum is “ruler”, was banned because they were flagrantly and repeatedly cheating and abusing horses in endurance races.
This man is yet another example of the old saying that “absolute power corrupts absolutely”.
The AERC (the U.S. endurance folks) have split from the FEI because the abuse in region seven has been happening for years and even post suspension of the entire UAE federation they continue to break the rules.
. There have been many discussions of the heinous treatment of horses in the UAE. Here is but one:
https://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/f…ships-from-uae.
If you are interested, google Pippa Cuckson UAE endurance, and set aside some time to read, because the ugliness has been happening for years.
There is so much corruption in, and surrounding this man and his family, yet people seem to be either unaware (perhaps because the Endurance and TB racing folks don’t often mingle?) or they are turning a blind eye.
Surely the TB racing folks remember the private plane belonging to the Sheikh that landed in the U.K. full of unlawful equine drugs, but that he claimed ignorance of.
In the TB racing world there is an understandable reluctance to cross him. He is wealthy and is invested in the sport. It is money he can afford to lose so he has the upper hand. The U.K. racing scene is especially dependent upon Darley and Godolphin. He is also a ubiquitous sponsor. “Fly Emirates”…
The Endurance community was sick and tired of him and of region 7’s horse abuse, however the TB racing community has become so dependent upon his money, I imagine that they will choose to continue to look the other way. 
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What is the TB racing community going to do? What rules is he breaking? No other marriages break up? We could do without him here in the US, but it would be a blow to Europe if he took his horsies and went home angry.
I’m glad she’s out, I hope it’s a catalyst for women in the middle east who are living in fear, and I hope she survives.
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I am surprised because of direct and person dealings with both of them in what was one of the coolest periods of my life. As we all know, it can be shocking when someone treats you well, then turns out not to be the person you perceived.
In racing, I have always felt Sheikh Mohammed has done mostly good for our sport based on my own personal dealings with him and his operations. When all the stuff was going down in the endurance world, I tried to make sense of it. I never “blamed” him directly for the cultural views he upholds.
Yet when his daughter fled recently, that was eye opening.
Now that Princess Haya has fled, I’m shocked because I’m coming to grips with the fact that the person I “knew” is not as he seemed.
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At some adult period in your life, you have to realize that it’s wrong to stone women to death.
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The major racing publications won’t touch it because Godolphin/Darley are big advertisers. They didn’t have anything to say about Sheikha Latifa.
And Sheikh Mohammed owns The Racing Post, so you know there won’t be any stories there…
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[QUOTE=skydy;n10421237]
This man is yet another example of the old saying that “absolute power corrupts absolutely”.
I think is something that lots of people around the world need to remember. Current political trends in many countries seem to be falling into this trap and everyone needs to pay attention.
It’s sad when money is able to cover outright abuse and quash the outrage that should be generated.
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There seems to be a lot of this going on in equestrian sports recently. Note the Rob Gage/Safe Sport thread in the Hunter/Jumper forum.
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Cheating in horse sport is not a “cultural view”.
That said, I’m am sorry, it is disappointing when you like someone and find they aren’t who you thought they were.
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Is Safesport not a thing at the FEI levels?
I can’t think of a single time that the racing publications covered the divorce, or impending divorce of any racing figure–whether or not they were advertisers.
Indian Charlie, racing’s equivalent of the National Enquirer, will probably weigh in.
This isn’t exactly a typical divorce, though. And there was some attention paid to Robbie Albarado when he punched out his wife.
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It is unfortunate that in his part of the world, his activities, shocking to us, are the norm. and this is is whether dealing with your wife, your horse or your dog, or, your daughter…
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She was a “junior” wife. I interpreted this to mean she was not his first wife. So she entered into the marriage knowing that? That is a different culture.
I don’t know the cultural expectations were or the contractual (marriage) ones were, on either side.
Of course she knew that she would not be his only wife when she married him. She is not an uneducated bumpkin. 
I hope she and her children remain safe.
I am very open to people’s religions and cultures that are not my own, until “culture” and "religion"are used as excuses for human rights abuses. There is no excuse for treating women as property, none.
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