More than 150 jockeys from 82 countries will take part in the Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival to be held at the Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club racecourse on November 13, according to organisers.
The highlight of the six-race card is undoubtedly the €1.2 million (Dh4.8m) Group 1 Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Cup Crown Jewel, the world’s richest race for Purebred Arabians, with 16 horses slated to run including Paddy’s Day, winner of the President Of The UAE Cup at Churchill Downs last month, and Al Mourtajez, widely regarded as the best Purebred Arabian in the world.
See also:
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Lara Sawaya, executive director of the festival, said at the launch of the festival on Tuesday: ”I’m very proud to announce that this prestigious event is taking place for the second year in succession.”
The race meet will also see the grand finals of Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Ladies World Championship and Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Apprentice World Championship.
Sami Jassim Al Boenain, the International Federation of Horse Racing Academies chief, praised the UAE for its support of Purebred Arabian racing around the world, and said that this year’s Sheikh Zayed Cup Crown Jewel was the biggest of its kind for the bree,
“This year the race is very tough and challenging as the quality of horses and riders are very high and naturally expectations will also be high. At IFAHR this race is considered as the biggest race in the world,” he said.
On Thursday, the Festival will stage the Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Conference for Training and Education at the National Archive Conference Hall to promote jockeys and other officials.
The opening session will deal with Jockey Training Worldwide and Prevention of Racing Accidents while in the afternoon the subject for the panel discussion will be “Jockeys – High Performance Athletes – At the Top”. Thursday’s opening day will end with a panel discussion on Controlled Jockey Diet, Weight Control & Nutrition.
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