Meydan involved in Tianjin Horse City venture

Meydan officials hope to emulate their Dubai success in China (Frank Sorge/Horsephotos.com) Meydan on Sunday announced plans for a joint venture project — Tianjin Horse City in China. To be established in Ninghe County, Tianjin in 2010, the Horse City will train 8,000 equestrian professionals, breed 1,000 high-quality studhorses, produce high-quality horse feeds, conduct horse auctions, hold international and domestic professional horse races, promote and impart equine culture and knowledge to youths, provide tourism services for the public, and protect the wellbeing and interests of equines. With a total land area of 5,000 mu and in addition to an equestrian college, feedstuff plant, breeding base, horse hospital, and quarantine center, Tianjin Horse City will also include five-star to seven-star luxury hotels, a clubhouse, commercial offices, and residential facilities. It is estimated that the project will pay hundreds of millions of taxes and profits to the State within five years, provide employment for 10,000, and develop a horse industry economy that will establish production franchise of standard scales across China. Tianjin Horse City has filed its application to the Chinese Equestrian Association for the establishment of a national equestrian sports and horsing racing training base.

Tianjin Horse City is to be jointly established by Meydan City Corporation
(Dubai, United Arab Emirates), TAK Design Consultants (Malaysia), Zhouji Jiye
(China) and Tianjin Farm Group (China). The group will help fulfill the gaps in
the equestrian sports and horse culture industry economy in China, and merge the
modern equine industry operations system in the coming 15 years.

The company has prepared two five-year plans. The first plan spans five years
and eight months from May 2010 to December 2015. By the end of 2011, the Hua Zhi
Jie International Equestrian College, studhorse base and feedstuff plant will be
completed and put into trial operations. By the end of 2012, the horse trading
center, hotel, clubhouse, shopping center, and entertainment center will be
completed. By the end of 2013, offices and living facilities will be completed.
By 2014, national standard club events, national equestrian club and national
equestrian park franchises will be developed, and the preparation of horse
culture communication market and international events market will commence.

Meanwhile, research, drafting and preparation of equestrian standards will
commence in May 2010 and be completed and published in December 2013. The group
will pay attention to and make proposals on the policy of the State in respect
of commercial horse racing, seek the support of the State and local governments,
and procure the equestrian sport to develop in a direction which will benefit
the State, the people and the interests of equines.

The second five-year plan spans from January 2016 to December 2020, which
will focus on the listing of the company and cohesion with the international
horse industry.