Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, said his love for the horses is not only because they are beautiful and strong, and beautiful.

"Arabs love their horses and their falcons and their dogs, so the love for horses is in my blood," he told Aly Vance presenter of Winning Post, CNN International's monthly horse racing programme, in a recent interview.

This month’s the CNN International’s equine show turned its focus to the Dubai World Cup and the Middle East’s love of racing.

The interview will feature on Winning Post airing on CNN International from Saturday 19th March.

The Dubai World Cup Carnival runs from January to March every year and is a season of high-class international race days contested by the most high-profile, owners, trainers, horses and jockeys in the world.

Spread across 11 race days, the Dubai World Cup Carnival leads to the season-ending Dubai World Cup, the world's richest horserace, which launches this year on 26th March. The Carnival runs alongside the domestic racing at Meydan season.

The following are excerpts from the interview with H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum by CNN’s Winning Post show presenter Aly Vance who was filming at the Dubai World Cup Carnival in Meydan: (BEGIN TEXT) ":: Aly Vance: Well your Highness, the racecourse is looking majestic this evening. With your passion for the sport what was your idea, what did you want to create here? :: Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum: Well, :: Aly Vance: It’s a stunning racecourse and on World Cup night I imagine this place comes alive. What’s so special about Dubai World Cup night? :: Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum: What is special about Dubai, I’ll tell you. The racing in England, not many travel to Australia. And the racing in America, nobody, not many, travel to England, to Europe to race. So, we made this race here so that everybody can come and compete with each other so we know what is the best horse that year .

I am honoured when I see all these people here...

And remember we’re bringing the horses back home. What I mean by that, I mean, all the thoroughbred racing in the world on all the tracks on the world are descending from the Arabic stallions. So therefore it’s something in my blood with that, so we want to bring the horses back home."

Source:WAM