The UAE’s investment in racing – “they are serious”

[Wandering Eyes]

One of the country’s highest profile and most influential breeders is confident there will be spin-offs for all the racing codes from New Zealand’s Free Trade agreement with the United Arab Emirates.

Recently Ken and Karen Breckon, who own and manage the award-winning Breckon Farms, hosted a delegation that included the chair and chief executive of TAB New Zealand, Bill Birnie and Nick Roberts as well as the UAE’s ambassador to New Zealand, His Excellency Mr Rashed Matar Sultan Alsiri Alremzi.

“To have someone at that level from the UAE here shows that they are serious about looking at opportunities in the New Zealand bloodstock industry” says Breckon.

The visit from His Excellency followed the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) coming into force on August 28, 2025. It is New Zealand’s first free trade agreement in the Middle East.  

“New Zealand has over a billion dollars worth of exports to the UAE every year and that figure is set to increase exponentially in the next decade or so,” says Breckon, “that’s an incredible opportunity.”

As well as being a top breeder Breckon also represents harness racing’s interests on a high powered committee set up to advise the TAB NZ. It stemmed from an idea from Racing Minister Winston Peters, Bill Birnie and Sir Peter Vela, who chairs the committee.

Based at Ohaupo in Waikato, Breckon Farms was set up more than decade ago. Last year it underwent a substantial upgrade into a state-of-the-art facility featuring stabling for 48 horses, function rooms and a parade ring.

“We drove him around the farm and showed him the investment here and to showcase harness racing which they are not familiar with,” says Breckon.

The Breckons also showed Mr Alremzi replays of some of their best horses winning big races including millionaire trotter I Can Doosit, the winner of 18 in a row, and unbeaten superstar Millwood Nike who won 17 straight before being retired last year.

“We brought I Can Doosit out for the day which he thoroughly enjoyed.”

The UAE has no ties with harness racing at all. It is a thoroughbred powerhouse worth billions. Among its marquee races are the Dubai World Cup, one of the world’s richest races.

But Breckon says that doesn’t mean there won’t be opportunities.

“Going forward they could invest into our industry through studs or by buying into top broodmares, stallions or in horses at Group level.”

“Then there are other activities in New Zealand like the way we train horses, veterinary science and horse welfare and technologies around performance monitoring and analysis which are world class.”

“There are many lessons in the UAE we can learn from and vice versa.”

Breckon is upbeat the relationship between the two countries will flourish. Among near term plans are to have His Excellency hosted at Karaka next year as it celebrates 100 years of National Yearling Sales in New Zealand.

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