Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum lands in Loch Ness ahead of celebrity horse racing event

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum flew from London Stansted to a private airfield near Loch Ness, Scotland, on May 28, 2026, aboard his Boeing 747-433M Combi, A6-COM. The one-hour, 24-minute flight landed at coordinates 56.634, -13.297, a location consistent with the grounds of Aldourie Castle, a private estate used by the Sheikh for seasonal equestrian retreats.

The same week, the Sheikh is in the Highlands for the annual Godolphin stable inspection and training review, per racing industry calendars. Scottish racing news outlets this month noted that Godolphin trainers based at Newmarket had moved select two-year-olds to the high-altitude gallops near Loch Ness ahead of the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot next month. Sheikh Mohammed has a long-established pattern of using Aldourie as a staging post to evaluate young horses before major European meets.

This visit follows two weeks of intensive shuttle flights: on May 27, a Royal Air Wing jet flew from an undisclosed UAE location to Newmarket, and another from Dubai International executed a short positioning flight. The back-to-back movements suggest the Sheikh is consolidating his European stable operations ahead of the summer racing season, a familiar rhythm for the Godolphin founder.