ETRES CHIC WINS FIRST WATHBA STUD FARM CUP
HELD AT ARAPAHOE PARK

Aurora, CO (May 25, 2014) – Etres Chic picked an ideal time to win her first race at Arapahoe Park in the first Wathba Stud Farm Cup for Arabians held at the Aurora, Colorado racecourse.  Jockey Kelsi Purcell gave the 5-year-old bay mare owned by Caraway Teutsch and trained by Mark Kulow a calculated ride to get up in the final strides of the 6-furlong race. The daughter of sire Djet Set De Falgas out of dam Peptons Fawor defeated Doc Holidday by a half-length in a final time of 1:21.75.  Djets Tigress, who set the early pace, was a further head back in third place.

“It was a close race, and she was able to get the lead just in time when it counted,” Purcell said.

On the same day that Arapahoe Park marked 30 years to the day that it opened on May 25, 1984, the racetrack hosted its first race as part of the HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Flat Racing Festival.  The Wathba Stud Farm Cup, which is one of the series in the racing festival, takes place in nine countries around the world.  Arapahoe Park will host another race in the series on July 4 and then on August 10.

“Having the series at Arapahoe Park is a great endorsement of the quality of the Arabian racing we have here in Colorado,” Purcell said.  “There have been a lot of good Arabians here over the years, and it’s nice to see that the quality of Arabian racing continues to grow.” 

The victory was Etres Chic’s first since her debut score at Sam Houston on February 10, 2013, and her first in five starts at Arapahoe Park.  She now has two wins in 16 lifetime races. 

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),  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.

Text: By Jonathan Horowitz
Photos: Coady Photography
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tezrlSeUB8