French jockey Siaffa on Karar wins H.H. Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Apprentice World Championship race in Newbury

It was a first ever win for French apprentice jockey Gianni Siaffa after Karar scored a memorable victory in the HH Sheikh Mansoor bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival’s newly-launched H.H. Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Apprentice World Championship (IFAHR) series race in Newbury, United Kingdom on Sunday, August 3.

It was the second race of the series for Apprentice jockeys and the 18-year-old Siaffa, who also took part in the inaugural race in Sacramento on July 19, did very well to help the Beverley Deutrom-trained 4-year-old grey horse Karar to a smart win in the 10-horse field.

Karar under Siaffa took 2 mins 28.36 seconds in the 10-furlong (2000 metres) race for horses rated 40-65 in the Premier Handicap event.

Katwalk under American jockey Laura Carson came second while Noble Athlete under Great Britain’s Jack Gilligan was third.

It was Siaffa’s first win in 22 starts for the French jockey who got an Apprentice licence earlier this year and also the first win for the UAE bred Dahess horse Karar owned by Sheikh Nasseer Mohammed Nasser Al Hasher.

The UAE’s top apprentice Ahmed Al Subose on Amyzing Zayin and Oman’s Yahya Al Hamdani on Wikkara finished 7th and 8th respectively.

HE Noora Al Suwaidi, Secretary General, UAE General Women's Union and Chairman of the UAE Women's Sports Committee said, “It is a great honour to stage the H.H. Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Apprentice World Championship (IFAHR) series race in Newbury which is an important racing venue for Arabian horses in the United Kingdom. With two Apprentice jockeys from the UAE and Oman taking part, this series will give them the exposure and experience in flat racing.”

“Siaffa will now join the winner of the opening race, Italian Gianluca Sanna in the November 9 final race of the H.H. Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Apprentice World Championship (IFAHR) series to be held on November 9 in Abu Dhabi,” said Ms Lara Sawaya, Executive Director of HH Sheikh Mansoor bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival and Chairman of Ladies Racing at the International Federation of Arabian Horse Racing Authorities (IFAHR).

“But before the Abu Dhabi finale we have two more races in the series in Baden-Baden in Germany on September 7 and in Tarbes in France on October 12. This series is turning out to be an exciting addition to the HH Sheikh Mansoor bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival,” Ms Sawaya added.

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