3 days ago
How this Cambridge student is building a global horse racing community in UAE
For most students, university is a mix of lectures, deadlines, internships and the chance to explore passions beyond the classroom. For Oliver Burridge-Dean, known to friends and peers simply as OBD, learning still plays a central role, but it now comes dressed in racing silks, shaped by starting gates, and driven by the creation of a new sporting culture.
During his time at Cambridge University, something clicked and it's taken him from student events to the heart of Dubai's racing scene. That spark came during his first year at Cambridge, where centuries of tradition meet the restless pursuit of new ideas when an events company called Invades asked if he'd help organise a student day at Newmarket.
OBD agreed to the request, intrigued by the intersection of social energy and sporting heritage. 'About 150 people showed up, and I thought, okay, something is happening here,' said OBD, who grew up in the Isle of Man. 'I mentioned it over brunch with the Master of my college, St John's, Heather Hancock, and ended up chatting to her husband, Herbie, who'd just been speaking with a committee member at Newmarket Racecourses who thought it was criminal that Cambridge didn't have a racing society.'
That contact was Matthew Lohn, now Chairman of Newmarket Racecourses, a qualified doctor and solicitor with decades of experience in sports law and racing governance. With Herbie's introduction, a call was arranged. 'Initially, I didn't see the angle,' OBD admits. 'It was hard enough convincing students to attend a single race day, let alone join a society. Many students felt racing was elitist and not for them while people in racing said students were too academic to be interested.'
The gap, he realised, was cultural. Bridging it required access. 'That was the idea,' he said. 'To make racing more accessible.'
With the generous support of Lohn and Sophie Able, Newmarket Racecourses and the International Director at the Jockey Club, he founded the Cambridge University Horse Racing Society (CUHRS), which has evolved into one of the most spirited student-led movements. Backed by strategic connections and his own relentless drive, OBD built not just a society, but a movement.
The society is born
CUHRS was officially launched at Dubai Future Champions Day in the Royal Box at Newmarket, hosted by the wonderful Carmelo. The logo, featuring silks in Cambridge Blue, was designed by Weatherbys, thanks to Nick Craven. 'It was a real highlight. Ed Chamberlin, the prominent British sports broadcaster, came up to the box to speak. The industry's support meant everything.'
'It was about access,' OBD explains. 'The Jockey Club offered use of the 'Winning Connections' or Royal Box, paddock access, even behind-the-scenes tours. These benefits cost them little but meant everything to us.'
Tattersalls, the oldest and most prestigious bloodstock auctioneers in the UK and Europe, also opened its doors to CUHRS, thanks to Cambridge alumnus Martin Mitchell.
Supporters like Julian Taylor and Bobby Jackson helped organise race days at Huntingdon and even student trips to Aintree for the Grand National. 'To my successor Albi Tufnell's delight — we don't just do flat,' Armand de Lambilly, now CUHRS Senior Events Coordinator, recalls his first race day with CUHRS at Aintree as a turning point. 'It's no overstatement to say that CUHRS is the university society that has had the biggest impact on my life, both in and out of Cambridge.'
That initial experience not only sparked his passion for racing but also led to a summer internship at the start-up TurfWin, marking the beginning of his journey into the industry.
The society also honours OBD's family legacy. His cousin, bloodstock agent Sam Sangster, helped host events, whose father, Robert Sangster, the legendary owner and co-founder of Coolmore Stud, lends his name to the society's annual dinner.
Held for the first time in 2024, the dinner hosted Lord Grimthorpe, Edward John 'Teddy' Beckett, racing manager for the late Prince Khalid Abdullah's Juddmonte Farms and a prominent figure in British horse racing, along with Jockey Club CEO and Cambridge alumnus, Nevin Truesdale, at one of the longest tables outside Windsor Castle at the Jockey Club Rooms in Newmarket. It was a night that symbolised CUHRS's growing stature within the sport's elite circles.
From Cambridge to the desert
Rejected from traditional roles in London, OBD took a leap of faith and interned in Dubai. Inspired by Manx billionaire, founder of New Agrarian and clean food investor, Jim Mellon. 'He said if he were young again, he'd go to the Middle East, especially with such forward-thinking governments. I took that literally,' says OBD.
That summer, he interned in Dubai. Just a few months later, in October, he was back in the UK, hosting CUHRS' inaugural 'Founding Day' in the Royal Box at Newmarket during Dubai Future Champions Day. 'It was funny how things all started to align,' he reflected.
When he eventually relocated to Dubai full-time, the city — and Meydan — felt instantly like home.
His introduction to Dubai racing came courtesy of Harry Tregoning, a British expatriate, who transitioned from insuring farms and estates in the UK to establishing himself in Dubai's dynamic real estate market as the founder of Tregoning Property.
'Harry gave me an owner's badge, a simple gesture that opened the door to an unforgettable chapter in my life. I owe my Dubai racing experience to him,' said OBD, reflecting on how it all began.
What started as a chance opportunity evolved into regular evenings at Meydan and lasting friendships. Among those who made Dubai feel like home were Charles and Alice Yardley who happened to be from the same Northumberland village as CUHRS co-founder, Jonnie Scott-Bromly. 'When you're away from home, those bonds mean everything,' said OBD.
Friday nights at Meydan became a ritual. On his birthday — January 3 — he was joined by familiar names: George Scott, a prominent British racehorse trainer based in Newmarket, Suffolk, operating from Eve Lodge Stables on Hamilton Road, once the base for legendary handler Gillian Duffield, a distinguished British trainer renowned for her exceptional work with Arabian racehorses and whose career, spanned nearly three decades, includes training for the late Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
James Siggers, cloth master and a close friend of George Scott, introduced OBD to another Sophie, the head of corporate communications, marketing and brand, at Dubai Racing Club, setting the stage for CUHRS's expansion into the UAE.
Sophie Able, and his best friend Aanya, were present that same evening where OBD met Sophie Ryan. 'Sophie had flown in to Dubai as the Jockey Club was sponsoring a race. The timing couldn't have been better,' said OBD.
With the support of John Hawkins, former British ambassador to Qatar and Consul-General in Dubai, the Jockey Club is working to strengthen ties with Meydan, recognising the UAE's growing influence in international racing.
'I had the privilege of spending 'Super Saturday' with Sophie, John, Joseph Assaad Tabet, and Dido Harding — Baroness Diana Mary 'Dido' Harding of Winscombe — Senior Steward of The Jockey Club, who was highly supportive of our vision to establish a CUHRS-style initiative in the Middle East,' OBD added.
CUHRS Dubai: A new chapter
With support from Sophie Ryan and the Dubai Racing Club, CUHRS hosted its inaugural Fashion Friday event at Meydan. 'Twenty of us attended, free of charge, with full hospitality. George Prince even came to speak to us,' said OBD.
'That night Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, made a rare appearance at the Carnival — it was magic.'
The format was replicated with a follow-up visit to Bhupat Seemar's championship-winning Zabeel Stables at dawn. 'He greeted us personally the next week at Meydan and knew everyone by name. That's how you bring people into the 'village,'' said OBD. 'Bhupat has even kindly agreed to give our inaugural dinner at the Arts Club, Dubai. James Maughan, Chairman of the Oxford & Cambridge Society of the UAE, has also agreed to partner with us.'
Outlining the broader ambition of the initiative, OBD spoke about a long-term vision to establish a lasting legacy for youth development through racing across the region.
'But this initiative isn't just about Cambridge — it's about creating a true 'University of Racing' for young people in Dubai,' OBD said.
And Dubai is just the beginning. Ed Veale, Director of Racing & International Relations at the Bahrain Turf Club, has also shown strong support ahead of next season. 'We were fortunate to visit Bahrain with George Baker and meet Ali Majeed, trainer for the rising Almohamediya Racing, led by His Highness Sheikh Sultan Al Deen bin Mohammed bin Salman Al Khalifa,' he added. 'Looking ahead, we plan to expand our vision across the rest of the Gulf.'
Racing as a cultural and regal conduit
But ask OBD what really keeps him hooked, and he'll point to something deeper — how racing brings people together in ways few sports can.
'What other sport unites the Ruler of a country with the Queen of another country?' he asks. 'There's such deep mutual respect between British and Middle Eastern traditions and horses are at the heart of it. It's a bond that goes beyond sport; it's cultural.'
That bond is rooted in a centuries-old equestrian heritage shared by both regions — from the Royal Studs at Sandringham and the Royal Mews at Buckingham Palace to the state-of-the-art stables in Dubai. Both cultures in the UK and the UAE place immense value on horsemanship, breeding, and the prestige that surrounds the sport.
Perhaps the most powerful symbol of this connection was the friendship between the late Queen Elizabeth II and Sheikh Mohammed. United by a lifelong passion for thoroughbred racing, their mutual admiration helped forge lasting ties between two distinct worlds.
OBD's own relationship with Dubai's racing elite underscores this connection. He had a chance meeting with legendary Godolphin trainer Saeed bin Suroor — one of the most decorated figures in global horse racing.
'We talked about engaging youth. Saeed was genuinely interested,' OBD says. That meeting laid the foundation for what OBD hopes will one day include hosting a Society dinner in Saeed's honour — an occasion that would underscore the evolving relationship between CUHRS and Godolphin.
'The Society's ties with Godolphin have deepened through visits to Dalham Hall Stud and Moulton Paddocks in Newmarket, made possible by one of our most loyal members, Loulou,' said OBD. These connections have also been strengthened through events attended by Hugh Anderson, Managing Director of Godolphin in both the UK and Dubai, and David Loder, the highly respected British racehorse trainer known for his expertise in developing young thoroughbreds who generously gave their time to speak with a group of CUHRS students.
'This isn't just sport, it's heritage, opportunity, and legacy,' said OBD.
With plans to fly students out for immersive racing and cultural experiences, OBD is evolving from a student organiser into a cultural envoy by bridging generations and geographies through a shared passion
'Racing gave me community,' he added.
That includes chance friendships too like with polo player and banker Finn Campbell-Breeden (RCB). 'We were introduced because of our love of horses through a friend, discovered we lived in the same building in Business Bay, and became inseparable. I owe my life in Dubai to racing.'
OBD clearly thrives on connection — between people, places, and passions. For him, this is just the beginning.
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