The camel that sold for Dh350,000
It was auction day at Adihex Expo – and some eye-watering prices were paid, writes Anna Zacharias
Race camels fetched prices of up to Dh350,000 in the annual auction at the Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition on Friday night.
Fifteen young camels sold for a total of Dh2.07 million. Hamed Salem, a breeder from Al Joa, south of Al Ain, bought three for Dh900,000.
“We buy according to their genes,” said Mr Salem, 40, an Al Wathba racetrack regular who owns 50 race camels. “It’s expensive but so are the prizes.”
The auction was led by the famed Omani commentator Salem Al Hebsi. In some parts of the world auctioneers are known for their rapid-fire rhythm, but camel auctioneers such as Mr Al Hebsi and Saif Al Kitbi use a technique more akin to slow cooking.
Mr Al Hebsi’s cadence was measured and his voice was deep as each calf was paraded back and forth in a sandy arena before VIPs, oblivious to those who had travelled to Abu Dhabi in search of a future star that could bring fortune and fame.
He listed the lineage of each camel, extolling the accomplishments of its ancestors, while bidders and their children sipped Arabic coffee, zaatar tea and karak in the VIP seats above.
Only after it became clear that no more bids were coming would Mr Al Hebsi ring a bell and say, “A thousand, thousand, thousand, thousand congratulations”, and announce the name of the winning bidder.
Mr Al Hebsi began commentating in 2008 in Oman’s Al Sharqiyah desert region. After just two years, he was invited to Abu Dhabi’s prestigious Al Wathba racetrack.
To this day, Mr Al Hebsi remembers the moment his racetrack career began. “My first commentary was November 28 at 5.47am. Of course I remember it.”
His memory has contributed to a successful career as auctioneer and commentator. As with any sport, camel-racing commentary is about statistics and context.
During races, a commentator must be able to distinguish between camels at a glance and know its owner and ancestry.
“God bless him, he is renowned for he knows all the lineages of this camel and that camel,” said breeder Abdulla Hamdi, flipping through the auction catalogue.
“Omanis are famous trainers. These camels are originally Omani and all race camels are originally Omani. Their size is small and they are light.”
Mr Hamdi is from the Omani town of Adam, a place renowned for its swift dromedaries.
For anyone who missed Mr Al Hebsi’s commentary, there were booklets with a detailed genealogy of each camel. They included photographs of its mother and father, and a list of their accomplishments.
“Why spend Dh300,000 a camel? Just look at his CV,” said Mr Hamdi, 40, pointing to a page with 13 bullet points about one camel’s victories and the number of cars it has won.
Bids started at Dh30,000 for female camels and Dh25,000 for males.
The camels for sale were conceived through artificial insemination at the Advanced Scientific Group in Sweihan, which assists breeders with camel fertilisation treatments and breeds 1,300 camels a year.
It produces another 300 of its own camels from the retired racers that live at the centre, like the famous studs Ghazi and Nassi.
Their largest annual auction is at the Al Wathba camel festival.
Adihex still holds the record for the most expensive sale of a race camel, when Bint Nassi was sold for Dh5.8 million to Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, in 2008.
“If there’s a festival that is seven days long, a sheikh will come every one of those days,” Mr Al Hebsi said.
“If it’s football nobody will come. They care because it’s the country’s heritage.”
Mr Salem is confident that he will make back his investment with prize money and resales at races that run from October to April.
“I make Dh50,000 at every festival,” he said.
If that seems like a lot, consider this: the final festival of the 2015 race season at Al Wathba had Dh80m in prize money.
“Maybe he’ll get back Dh1m in return,” said Mr Salem’s nephew, Saeed Al Derei, 28.
Last season, Mr Al Derei’s camels won a Toyota Land Cruiser, a Ford Focus and a Nissan Patrol, as well as cash prizes.
He sold the Focus and the Patrol but kept the Land Cruiser.
The only drawback to this investment?
“Camels don’t have insurance,” Mr Al Derei said.
If the camel dies, the money is lost.
If there’s a festival that is seven days long, a sheikh will come every one of those days. If it’s football nobody will come SALEM AL HEBSI Omani commentator