Racehorse for Sale in the UAE: How the ERA Online Sale Works (5–10 November 2026)

Last updated: 6 November 2026

If you are looking for a racehorse for sale in the UAE, the official route in early November is the Emirates Racing Authority's online sale, run with Tattersalls Online, where bidding opened at 2pm GST on Thursday 5 November and closes at 2pm GST on Tuesday 10 November 2026. The ERA announced 25 lots, 23 Thoroughbreds in training and two Purebred Arabians, and no one can bid without ERA approval and a refundable AED 20,000 deposit. This guide explains how the sale works, what the conditions say a buyer takes on, and where ownership sits in UAE law.

Key takeaways

• Dates: bidding runs from 2pm GST (10am GMT) on Thursday 5 November to 2pm GST on Tuesday 10 November 2026 on Tattersalls Online.
• The catalogue: the ERA announced 25 lots (23 Thoroughbreds in training, two Purebred Arabians); Salem bin Ghadayer consigns 11 of them, the largest share.
• To bid: create a Tattersalls Online account, join the sale, submit an ERA Sale Registration Form and pay an AED 20,000 deposit. The ERA can approve or reject any registration without giving a reason.
• After the hammer: the buyer pays the full price immediately, collects the horse within 24 hours unless agreed otherwise, and 5 per cent VAT applies to sale costs. Horses are sold "as it stands", with no ERA warranty.
• Last sale: the April ERA online sale grossed AED 9,522,900, with a top price of AED 1,100,000.
• It is not betting: owning and racing a horse is a regulated activity under the ERA. Betting on racing is a separate matter: it is illegal except through the one licensed operator, whose Play971 sportsbook is not available in Dubai.

What is the ERA Online Sale in November 2026?

It is an online auction of horses in training, organised by the Emirates Racing Authority (ERA), the governing body for horse racing in the UAE, and hosted by Tattersalls Online. The ERA published the sale on 30 October. Its announcement says the auction opens at 10am GMT (2pm GST) on Thursday 5 November and closes at 10am GMT (2pm GST) on Tuesday 10 November. This is the fourth sale the ERA and Tattersalls Online have run together.

The ERA's conditions of sale, issued on 30 October, describe it as "the organizing authority for the sale of horses in the United Arab Emirates". Only horses already registered with the ERA as racehorses can be entered, and a vendor must hand the horse's passport to the ERA before it can be offered.

The sale closes four days after the Dubai Racing Carnival opens at Meydan on 6 November, and the season runs until April 2027, so a horse bought now has months of UAE racing ahead of it. Our Dubai Racing Carnival 2026-27 guide and UAE racing season 2026-27 calendar set out the fixtures.

Which horses are in the sale?

The ERA's announcement lists 25 lots: 23 Thoroughbreds in training and two Purebred Arabians. When we opened the online catalogue on 4 November it showed 26 entries, with no prices or reserves displayed, so check the live catalogue for the final line-up.

Salem bin Ghadayer has the largest consignment, with 11 lots. The ERA highlights three horses:

• Asaassi, consigned by Marwan Al Baidhaei: a four-time winner, fourth in the Group 3 Dubai Millennium Stakes at Meydan in January, rated 100 by the ERA on both dirt and turf.
• King of Thebes, from Charlie Appleby: a three-year-old placed twice from three starts in England.
• Desert Knight, also from Appleby: an unraced three-year-old gelding, described by the ERA as a 2,000,000-guineas graduate of the Tattersalls October Book 1 Yearling Sale.

The ERA also names Bhupat Seemar, Doug Watson, Ed Crisford, Mohammed Al Shamsi, Saif Almarar and Dubai Racing Club as supporting the sale, without saying how many lots each has entered.

How do you register to bid?

The ERA's registration notice, published on 3 November, sets out the steps:

1. Go to Tattersalls Online and select the ERA Online Sale.
2. Create an account, or log in, and click "Join Sale".
3. Get approval from the ERA. The notice is blunt: "You must receive approval from the Emirates Racing Authority (ERA) before you can participate in the sale."
4. Pay the AED 20,000 deposit in the ERA's name.

The conditions of sale add the detail. Clause 3.1 requires an ERA Sale Registration Form and the deposit, payable by banker's draft, cash, Visa or Mastercard. The deposit is refunded if you do not buy a horse "within 21 working days of the sale being completed", and it cannot be put towards the price of a horse. The ERA "has the power to approve a purchaser registration without a deposit or reject a purchaser registration without giving any reason". Clause 3.2 says no bid is accepted from anyone without both a Tattersalls Online and an ERA sales registration.

What does a buyer take on after winning a lot?

More than the hammer price. The conditions of sale put these obligations on the buyer:

Clause — What it says

• 3.4 — Each horse is sold "as it stands", with no warranty from the ERA on ownership, quality or fitness for racing
• 3.5 — From the fall of the hammer, the buyer bears all costs of the horse's care, custody and collection
• 3.6 — The full price is paid immediately, and ownership then passes to the buyer
• 3.7 — The buyer collects the horse within 24 hours, at their own cost, unless the ERA agrees otherwise
• 9.1 — Stabling at a Dubai Racing Club stable by arrangement costs AED 200 a day
• 14 — Sale costs, including commission, stabling and export charges, carry 5 per cent VAT

The ERA strongly advises buyers to inspect a horse before buying (clause 3.3), can hold passports and horses until every payment is cleared (clause 4.5), and is the final arbiter of disputes (clause 10). The conditions are governed by the laws of Dubai. Sellers pay the ERA 5 per cent commission on a sale (clause 5.1).

The ERA says its Registry Office registers horses for racing and that it licenses "all trainers, jockeys, officials and stable personnel". The conditions do not set out how a new buyer registers as an owner or registers racing colours, so a first-time buyer should ask the ERA directly; the sale announcement names Samuel Shinsky and Manav Vaya as the ERA contacts.

How much do racehorses sell for in the UAE?

The ERA's last online sale, in April 2026, gives a sense of scale. It grossed AED 9,522,900, and the three highest prices were AED 1,100,000, AED 880,000 and AED 780,000, according to the ERA's announcement of the November sale, which called the April auction record-breaking. The ERA did not say how many horses were sold, so we cannot give an average price.

What a horse can win is set by the race programme. At the season's opening meeting at Abu Dhabi Turf Club on 22 October, seven races carried a total of Dhs 466,000, Gulf Today reported. Meydan's Carnival opener lists seven Thoroughbred races worth AED 165,000 to AED 250,000 each on the ERA calendar. At the top end, the UAE President Cup on 12 December 2026 is worth AED 8 million, and the Dubai World Cup on 27 March 2027 US$12 million.

Is owning a racehorse in the UAE gambling?

No. Buying a horse at an ERA-organised auction and racing it under ERA rules is a regulated sporting activity. Under Cabinet Decision No. 54 of 2021, the ERA is "an independent federal authority reporting to the Prime Minister", and it writes and administers the UAE Rules of Racing.

Betting on the result is a different matter. The Crimes and Penalties Law defines gambling in Article 460 as a game in which each party agrees, if they lose, to pay the winner money or something else, and Article 461 punishes whoever gambles with up to two years' incarceration or a fine of up to AED 50,000. The only licensed route for racing bets is Play971, run by Coin Technology Projects LLC, the sole sports-wagering licensee on the regulator's register. Play971's help centre says it "is accessible within the UAE only, except Dubai", and Dubai is where Meydan and Jebel Ali are. Our explainer on whether you can bet on the Dubai World Cup covers that position in full.

If betting on racing, legal or not, has become a problem for you or someone close to you, our guide to responsible gambling help in the UAE lists where to turn.

FAQ

When does the ERA Online Sale close? At 2pm GST (10am GMT) on Tuesday 10 November 2026. Bidding opened at the same time on Thursday 5 November.

How many horses are in the November 2026 ERA sale? The ERA announced 25 lots: 23 Thoroughbreds in training and two Purebred Arabians. The online catalogue showed 26 entries on 4 November.

Do I need a deposit to bid? Yes. The ERA requires an AED 20,000 deposit with your registration. It is refunded if you do not buy, and it cannot be used towards the purchase price.

Can anyone bid? Only bidders approved by the ERA, which can reject a registration without giving a reason. You also need a Tattersalls Online account.

What did the April 2026 ERA sale make? AED 9,522,900 in total, with a top price of AED 1,100,000, according to the ERA.

Is VAT charged on horse sale costs? Yes. The conditions of sale apply 5 per cent VAT to sale costs, including commission, stabling and export charges.

Further reading

• Dubai Racing Carnival 2026-27: opening night, key dates and the betting question
• UAE horse racing season 2026-27: every key date
• Can you bet on the Dubai World Cup?
• Is gambling legal in the UAE? Game by game
• Responsible gambling help in the UAE

Sources

• Emirates Racing Authority, "ERA Online Sale – 10 November 2026" (30 October 2026): https://emiratesracing.com/news/era-online-sale-10-november-2026
• Emirates Racing Authority, "ERA Online Sale - 10 November 2026 - How to register" (3 November 2026): https://emiratesracing.com/news/jebel-ali-horses-in-training-online-sale-2026-how-to-register-2
• Emirates Racing Authority, "Conditions of Sale, ERA Online Sale" (issued 30 October 2026): https://d2xuc5ucjmnf40.cloudfront.net/photo-finishes/Conditions-of-ERA-Online-Sale-Nov-2026.pdf
• Emirates Racing Authority, sale catalogue (accessed 4 November 2026): https://emiratesracing.com/horse-sale/era-online-sale-10-november-2026
• Emirates Racing Authority, "About us" (accessed 4 November 2026): https://emiratesracing.com/about-us
• Gulf Today, "RB Boujee shines in UAE racing season opener" (24 October 2026): https://www.gulftoday.ae/sport/2026/10/24/rb-boujee-shines-in-uae-racing-season-opener
• Emirates Racing Authority, "Official schedule for the 2026-2027 UAE horse racing season" (4 June 2026): https://emiratesracing.com/news/the-emirates-racing-authority-era-has-announced-the-official-schedule-for-the-2026-2027-uae-horse-racing-season
• Lexis Middle East, Cabinet Decision No. 54 of 2021 Regarding the Regulation of Emirates Racing Authority: https://www.lexismiddleeast.com/law/UnitedArabEmirates/CabinetDecision_54_2021/en
• UAE Legislation, Federal Decree-Law No. 31 of 2021 (Crimes and Penalties Law): https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/1529
• Play971 Help Center, "Why am I receiving an error message 'Your location appears to be close to a restricted area'?" (accessed 4 November 2026): https://help.play971.ae/s/article/Why-am-I-receiving-an-error-message-Your-location-appears-to-be-close-to-a-restricted-area
• General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority, "Our licensees" (accessed 4 November 2026): https://www.gcgra.gov.ae/en/licensing/our-licensees/