Ameretto eyes European Races Award Penultimate round of HH Sheikha Fatima Championship attracts top runners

Warsaw - Poland: Indian professional lady jockey Rupa Narpat Singh breaks new grounds as the leading rider faces the challenge of her sex in the 13th round of the 30.000 euro HH Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Ladies World Championship (IFAHR), the penultimate leg of the series at the Służewiec Horse Race Track on Sunday, August 24.

Elsewhere, seven horses have been declared to make the lineup in the 11th round of the 35.000 euro, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Cup (Gr-3) early in the afternoon at the same venue.

Both events are held under the directives of HH Sheikh Mansoor bin Zayed Al Nahyan as part of the HH Sheikh Mansoor bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival. 

Ladies from ten countries including two professionals - Rupa Narpat Singh of India and Joanna Wyrzyk from Poalnd, and 8 amateurs from France, Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Germany, Oman, Sweden and Great Britain will be onboard the Purebred Arabian horses.

Poland will be represented by the 17-year-old Joanna Wyrzyk, daughter of currently one of the best trainers Adam Wyrzyk. The brilliant teenager has begun her track career last April and won six of her 17 starts.

Meanwhile, victory in the four previous Warsaw editions of the Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Cup went to foreign horses. In 2010, the victor was the French-trained Saudi stud Muqatil Al Khalediah, who established an excellent 2600m track record of 2,56,30 seconds.

The following year, the winner was the Dutch-owned, French-bred Sartejano. The last two seasons belonged to Ameretto, a French-bred stud trained in Germany by Günter Richter. Last year, aside from the main prize of PLN 60 000, the horse won for its owner, Manuela Daverio-Scharfenberg, an additional premium of 30 000 euro for taking first place in a mini cycle of three European Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Cup races.

This season this experienced stud is once again without competition, finishing second at the Hoppegarten track in Berlin on May and first on the Dutch course Duindigta month later, with none of his main competitors running in Warsaw. As soon as he is past the finishing line, his owner will once again win the special prize of 30 000 euro. Sunday will prove whether Ameretto remains the best to claim the European Racing Award for the third time. This race, with the pool of prizes amounting to PLN 105 000 (PLN 60 000 for first place) will also feature three Polish-bred horses, last year's winner of Derby Wares, this year's winner of the race Ziko and the mare Afrah.

During the United Arab Emirates day, the Warsaw track at Służewiec will host many attractions for guests. The VIP booth will host a presentation of paintings by Zbigniew Kotowski, Krzysztof Jarocki and Katarzyna Stefanowicz, whose main inspiration and leading motif are horses. Between the races there will be two horse shows presented by the Karolina Wajda Horse Riding Academy. TWK Służewiec will also host a broad array of catering options as well as promotional and sales booths offering horse-racing themed items. There will also be additional free attractions for guests, including a merry-go-round, inflatable structures, a trampoline, table football and pony rides. A caricaturist offering portraits will also be on site, along with a photo booth.

The HH Sheikh Mansoor bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival is organised by the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority and coordinated by Abu Dhabi Sports Council in association with Emirates Racing Authority, IFAHR and Emirates Arabian Horse Society, supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs , the General Authority of Youth and Sports Welfare with Arabtec Holding PJSC as the Official Partner and Emirates airline as the official carriers and sponsored by Invest AD, Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC),  Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), Al Rashid Investment, Al  Awani General Enterprises, Kabale, Al Wathba Centre, the UAE's General Women's Union, the HH Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Ladies Sports Academy, Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition 2014, Dr. Nader Saab Switzerland, Al Wathba Center, Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club, Eastern Mangroves Suites-Abu Dhabi by Jannah, Abu Dhabi Sports Channel and Racing Post.

Source: HH SH Mansoor Global Arabian Flat Racing Festival / Satya Narayan
Photo: Morhaf Al Assaf