Gulf Today, Staff Reporter
Bhupat Seemar has been appointed as trainer at Zabeel Stables, Dubai Racing Club has announced. Seemar’s highly successful 2021/22 UAE racing season saw him saddle 47 winners.
Seemar, 45, brings with him a wealth of experience to the role. Originally from India, he trained in the US as an intern at Taylor Made Farms and also enjoyed a spell as assistant to multiple Dubai World Cup-winning trainer Bob Baffert.
Commenting on the appointment, Major General Dr. Mohammed Essa Al Adhab, Board Member and General Manager of the Dubai Racing Club, said: “We are pleased with the appointment of Bhupat (Seemar) as a trainer at Zabeel Stables, which has a great record of achievements that enriched the local racing. “Interestingly, Seemar has a blend of local and global experience that makes a perfect fit for maintaining the record of the stable and taking it to new heights.”
“I am honoured to be the permanent trainer at Zabeel Stables, where I have worked for almost 20 years since arriving from California,” said Bhupat.
“I am looking forward to the upcoming season as we have a great team behind us and some outstanding clients who have invested in some very good bloodstock from all over the world.”
Seemar’s championship-winning season also saw him collect a maiden Group 1 success when Switzerland, owned by Sheikh Rashid Bin Humaid Al Nuami, won the G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen on World Cup night.
He also saddled his first Kentucky Derby runner when the Burke family’s Summer Is Tomorrow travelled to Churchill Downs following his second place in the G2 UAE Derby.
Seemar’s vastly-experienced staff at the picturesque Zabeel Stables – the jewel in the crown of Dubai’s racing stables – includes his wife Caroline, an integral member of the work riding team. Tadhg O’Shea, 10-time UAE Champion, is again expected to be stable jockey at Zabeel for the forthcoming season.
The 2022-23 UAE racing season commences at Al Ain Racecourse on Friday 28th October, with the action moving to the flagship Meydan Racecourse a week later, on Friday, November 4. The $30.5million Dubai World Cup meeting takes place on Saturday, March 25, 2023.