A Spanish brother and sister will represent racing minnows Spain in the finale to the Sheikh Mansour Festival in Abu Dhabi next month after Jaime Gelabert Bautista became the last jockey to qualify for the Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Apprentice World Championship.
Bautista steered the favourite, Hurra, to a half-length victory over Nabukka, ridden by Irish apprentice Joe Doyle, in the 1,900-metre contest at Duindigt Racecourse in the Netherlands on Sunday. The race carried a purse of €20,000 (Dh93,722).
UAE apprentice Saeed Al Mazrouei finished fast and late to take third aboard Derham, while Laura Carson, an American, was fourth on Robbie The First.
The result was a one-two for trainer Diana Dorenberg.
“The trainer told me to keep her in mid pack and the race went well for me,” Bautista said.
“Hurra had a lot of speed and I did not have to do much once he changed gears.”
Spain is not a member of the International Federation of Arabian Horse Racing Authorities, but will also be represented by Lucia Bautista, who in August won the €30,000 Belgian leg of the HH Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Ladies World Championship. Both will ride at the Abu Dhabi Racing and Equestrian Club on November 9.
“I do not know much English so with my sister Lucia also coming to Abu Dhabi I will be more confident and we will go all out to keep our country’s flag flying high,” Bautista said.
Having Spain involved to such an extent was a significant boost for the aims of the series, according to Abdalla Hamdan Alnaqbi, UAE Ambassador to the Netherlands, who watched the race.
“I think this is a real breakthrough to enhance the image of our nation all over the world and strengthen the already excellent ties between the UAE and the rest of the world,” he said.
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