Tommo: How I helped set up the Dubai World Cup

I was in the commentary box before the new, vibrant racecourse went up. It was small – a bit like something at Sedgefield or somewhere – and to get to the paddock you had to go through the royal box. One day I passed Sheikh Mohammed sitting in the front row. I said, “Hello sir, how are you?” and he gestured at me to sit down. Then he asked me: “How about this… I’m think of starting the world’s richest race. What distance shall we do?” I said, “Well, sir, it’s got to be 1m ¼, to bring the best milers and longer distance horses together”. And that’s how the World Cup started... we’ve had some incredible races since.