This is NOT the Kentucky Derby - Camel Racing In the Desert

Since arriving in Dubai I have been anxiously awaiting the opportunity to see camel racing.
The camel festival is currently going on in Dubai, which includes camel racing. Yeah, I am finally  going !
Me and 5 of my new friends ventured off for a day at the races, about 45 minutes from the city, into the desert.

This is not like a day at the races at the Kentucky Derby. Certainly not ! No grand fan fare, no women dressed up in their best clothes and no fine dining. Camel racing is simple, unique, gritty and the sounds and smells are just what you would imagine. As we got closer to the race track, camels were everywhere.
Packs of camels were running with Bedouin trainers as they were being warmed up with on a separate race track (in the picture above), others were being led around carrying things on their backs, while hundreds of camels stood around patiently waiting for their time to race.
Interesting fact, the Bedouins trainers sit behind the hump of camel to ride them. It is almost comical watching a rider on a camel when the camel is running. The riders arms and legs are flying and flapping all over.

As we walk up to take a picture all the camels turn to look at us - almost instantaneously. It was almost like they were saying, "take a picture of us, aren't we amazing!"  Camels are amazing and we snapped several shots. Even when camels are standing still, they are snorting, growling, making disgusting camel noises.

We decided to stroll over to the grandstand and take a closer look at the actual racing. The grand stand area is simple, dirty and stark. A cement grandstand with bleacher type seating. In the stands we find a couple hundred Bedouins, camel trainers and other men wearing kandura's sitting around watching the races on an old school television. It is surprising on how advanced Dubai is, that we would see an old TV. There are also quite a few Bedouin trainers sitting on the grass, waiting for their camel to complete their race. Everyone is so calm.

The camel race track is 3- 4 miles around. Once the camels leave the start gate the people in the stands watch the little TV until the come around within view again. Once you know the camels are on the home stretch, the race track livens up -it is now all a buzz. While the current camels racers advance to the finish line, we hear a call for the next set of camel racers. The call is muffled and the english poor, but we think we heard,"Get your camels in the starting gate that are next to run". The race track seems a little disorganized and chaotic but we love it.
This is pure camel racing  magic. The cost to get in...FREE!

There is nothing else to do or see here - just camel racing. No shops,  no food ( that I can see ), no person trying to peddle their wares - just plain and simple camel racing, which is quite refreshing. It is also very obvious, the six of us, all women, are also among the few women at the camel race track today. We can count the number of women here at the races on both hands. Men are definitely minority.

A shout goes up, " All camels in their places."Another race is about to begin, the next set of camel racers are in starting position - but wait one of the camels is turned the wrong direction ( see picture above) but no one seems to care and the race begins. Everyone in the stands get up and watches the camels take off. The men are pressing against the worn red railing cheering the camels on to run. "Faster, run faster", the men are yelling and shouting and occasionally using the camels name. Did I really Barney yelled out ?

In about 15 - 20 minutes you can hear and see the first camels coming up the home stretch. Long, lanky legs everywhere, like a thundering herd. Camels can run a long race at about 25 -30 miles an hour and a short race at about 40 miles and hour,

Here comes the winner, electronic jockey in tow. The camels seem to know they are coming up to the finish line and they lunge forward, lips and tongues rolling back, flapping in the wind and their muzzles are covered in frothy spit.Yeah ! We have a winner.

Human jockeys fell out of favor in the mid 2000's when the use of small children under the age of 18 was banned by the UAE government. Almost too odd and weird to explain are the small electronic jockeys that are riding on their backs. As the camels sprint to the finish line the electronic jockey makes a last push with its crop. The electronic jockey is, operated by remote control, it can tug on the reins and whip the camel.

Even more astonishing to watch are the crazy camel owners who race on the inside track along side their camels, all of them in their SUV's, many of the owners are perched on top of the vehicles roof.  As the camels race,  the owners seem to be racing one another in their SUV's, yelling the camels name and making strange noises at their racer. Do the camels understand what the owners are saying ? Do all the noises and the yelling really help the camel race faster ? We are told that the owner of the fastest camels are going to win an outstanding prize today. What could it be ? We are told, "most likely a luxury car or luxury SUV. "

Today there is one camel race after the other. How many races today we ask, "Insha'Allah 15 this morning " we are told.  The camel races start early in the morning and go until 5:00 P.M. in the afternoon. The camel racing season runs from October - April.

This is definitely not the Kentucky Derby, but good ole camel racing in Dubai desert. With all of Dubai's glitz and glitter, it is so fun to see down to earth, dirty and smelly. Can't wait to come back .

Oh , I almost forgot...we got to see a one day old camel. So cute. Both the mother and baby camel were for sell as a buy one mama camel, get the cute baby camel for free. Only 5000 AED ( @ 1350 USD). Cutest camel face I had ever seen.