Flashback: The 1997 storm that tested Dubai World Cup’s resolve

It was Dubai World Cup day at Nad Al Sheba in March 1997, a day meant to have been a spectacle of world-class horse racing under clear desert skies at a packed Nad Al Sheba Racecourse. But by midday, sheets of rain began to lash the venue, soon flooding the course and sending most of the 60,000 spectators scrambling for cover, a rare sight in a city traditionally bathed in sunshine. The excitement that normally electrified the grandstand gave way to disbelief and disappointment as fans and racing connections feared that the biggest day in horse racing might have...