The blue and white colours of the hugely popular owner were instantly familiar to racing fans around the world
The blue and white colours of Sheikh Hamdan al-Maktoum, whose death at the age of 75 was announced on Wednesday, were instantly familiar to racing fans around the world for 40 years, in Group One races and maidens and everything between. His investment in bloodstock, both for racing and breeding, in that time was incalculable, and matched or exceeded only by his younger brother, Sheikh Mohammed.
While his brother’s maroon-and-white colours were replaced with Godolphin blue a quarter of a century ago, however, Sheikh Hamdan’s silks were a constant thread in the narrative of Flat racing from the afternoon when the two-year-old Mushref gave the owner his first winner, at Redcar in the summer of 1980.
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Chepstow 12.30 Sadma 1.00 Galice Macalo 1.35 Broken Halo 2.07 Goodnight Charlie 2.37 Bignorm 3.07 Caro Des Flos 3.37 Parisian Blue
Newbury 12.30 Faivoir 1.00 Scaramanga 1.30 Ocean Cove (nb) 2.05 Supremely Lucky 2.40 Saint De Reve (nap) 3.15 Coeur Serein 3.50 Adrien Du Pont
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