By T&D Staff and The Associated Press Wednesday, January 13, 2010
AIKEN – The ruling sheikh in Dubai has bought some land in South Carolina for a race horse training center.
The Aiken Standard reported that the sheikh’s thoroughbred racing empire has bought 360 acres of land in Aiken County to expand its operation.
The head of the sheikh’s U.S. horse racing operation, Jimmy Bell, says the new facility near Montmorenci will include a one-mile dirt training track.
The site is about six miles from the Aiken Training Track, where the horses will train until the new facility is complete. There is no time frame for the construction.
Bell says horses that have trained in Aiken have had great success.
Jafza International, a company owned by the Dubai government, purchased 1,322 acres of land near the town of Santee in 2007. It has plans for a logistics, manufacturing and distribution park.
The company says it will focus on developing the most accessible 200 acres of the Santee project first, with a focus on warehousing, distribution and office space.
