German horse S Maran wins debut race

Wathba Stud Farm Cup series stops in Samorin, Slovakia

Eight-year-old German bred S Maran under Michal Abik scored an impressive win in the first ever Wathba Stud Farm Cup race to be held in Samorin, Slovakia on Saturday, September 20.

The HH Sheikh Mansoor bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival’s most popular race series that aims to promote Arabian racing at the grassroots level made its debut in Slovakia on Saturday with a strong six horse field contesting the 2000-metre contest.

Abik steered S Maran ahead of British raider Adding under amateur jockey Carolin Stummer while Takiro Ibn Mirokan under Jaroslav Linek finished third.

Director General of Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club Adnan Sultan Al Nuaimi attended the race and gave away the trophies to the winning connections. “It is a good start and the Arabian racing fraternity here in Slovakia expressed happiness over the HH Sheikh Mansoor bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival Wathba Stud Farm Cup staging a race here in Samorin,” Al Nuaimi said.

Ms Lara Sawaya, Executive Director of the HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival and Chairman of Ladies Racing Committee in the International Federation of Arabian Horse Racing Authorities (IFAHR) said, “Slovakia has joined other countries like the US, UK, The Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, Belgium, France and Abu Dhabi in staging the Wathba Stud Farm Cup series in 2014. This is another step forward in helping boost the growth of Arabian horse racing around the globe.”

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