A family member of Osama Bin Laden is set to enter British racing after spending £1.8million on horses.
Mohammed Saleh Bin Laden, who is the nephew of Bin Laden's half-brother Bakr Bin Laden, spent seven figures during the opening two days of sales at the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale in Newmarket. Seven fillies were purchased for Salhia Stud, of which Mohammed Saleh is the majority shareholder.
Osama Bin Laden was disowned by his family after founding and leading the Al-Qaeda terrorist organisation before his death in 2011. The head of the Islamist militant group was shot at the hands of United States Navy SEALs.
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Hossam Alsaady, a director of Salhia Stud, has spoken out regarding the sales and stated the intention of the group to establish themselves as leading owners on the British courses.
Speaking to The Racing Post, he said: "We are big in Arabian breeding but have never been in thoroughbreds before now; we have only recently decided to do this.
"We have invested and spent a lot on UK business and are involved in many areas of the UK, so we thought why not British racing too and let’s see what we can do."
The long-term project stems from Mohammed Saleh's interest in horses that began when he was a youngster.
The group website states: "Since childhood, his passion for the horse was instilled by the gift of a horse from his uncle Sheikh Bakr Binladen."
Among the fillies purchased was the sister of Group 1 winner Barney Roy and a daughter of legendary racehorse Frankel.
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Salhia Stud's farm is based outside the city of Jeddah, with the traditions stemming from a passion for Arabian horses.
Mohammed Saleh is said to have ben gifted a horse from his uncle to kickstart his love for racing, which has been aided by his huge net worth.
Saleh is the head of eight different companies and on the board of 11 more, having earned degrees at both the University of Portsmouth and Bournemouth University International College.
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