Robbie Williams has been banned from performing at a Dubai racecourse.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum - the current ruler of Dubai - rejected Robbie's concert request because the 'Feel' singer terrified the sheikh's thoroughbred racehorses when he performed there last year. Dubai Racing Club chief Frank Gabriel said: "The concert affected the horses' state of mind and their performance. That will not and must not happen ever again."
Sheikh Mohammed is a major international figure in the breeding and racing of thoroughbred racehorses. He hosts the annual Dubai World Cup, which is the world's richest series of horse races. Robbie was paid a staggering £1 million to perform at a sell-out concert at the course in April 2006. The singer's follow-up show was set to be the biggest concert ever held in Dubai.
Robbie isn't the only music act to have upset equine residents. In July, a Rolling Stones concert in Serbia was moved following fears the noise could distress horses who were housed in a nearby stable. Serbian animal rights activists protested over plans to sedate the 300 animals during the event at Belgrade's Hippodrome. The show was later moved to a public park in Belgrade. | 
