16 horses to line up for the world’s richest
Purebred Arabian race

Euros 1.2 million Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Jewel Crown (Group1)
on November 8, 2015 in Abu Dhabi

History will be written on November 8, 2015 when the HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival stages the Euros 1.2 million Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Jewel Crown (Group1) at the Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club as part of the Festival’s ‘One World, Six Continents’ extravaganza.

Details of the world’s richest Purebred Arabian race and of the HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies World Championship final race, the HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Apprentice World Championship race and the Wathba Stud Farm Cup race were announced at a press conference held on the sidelines of Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition (ADIHEX) 2015 here today.

Dr. Abdulla  Elreyes, Director General of the National Archives; Sheikh Hamdan Al Sharqi, Invest AD; Sultan Aouda, Managing Director of National Feed & Flour Production & Marketing Company (LLC); Mubarak Al Nuaimi,TCA Abu Dhabi; Essam Abdulla, Emirates Arabian Horse Society; Khalid Al Hamadi, General Authority of Youth & Sports Welfare ( GAYSW); Nadim Lahad, Emirates Airline; Pat Buckley, Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club; Khalid Al Qubaisi from ADNEC and Ms Lara Sawaya , Chairperson of the IFHRA,  Executive Director of the HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival and Chairman of Ladies & Apprentice Racing Committees in the International Federation of Arabian Horse Racing Authorities addressed the press conference with Sheikh Hamed Bin Khadim Al Hamed and Ebrahim Abdul Malik, Secretary General of General Authority of Youth and Sports Welfare (GAYSW) in attendance.

A field of 16 highly-rated runners, three from the US, three from Europe, three from the GCC nations and the rest from the UAE will line up for a slice of the Euros 1.2 million on offer which makes the Group 1 Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Jewel Crown the richest race for Purebred Arabian horses.

“I would like to thank the partners and sponsors without whom nothing would have been achieved. But it is the initiatives and vision of HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs and Her Highness Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women's Union, Supreme President of the Family Development Foundation (FDF) and Head of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, that has driven the Festival to where it is today,” said Ms Lara Sawaya.

“The added value of the Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Jewel Crown is that it carries the name of our father and it is being staged under the directives of HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs to follow in the footsteps of the founder of the nation,” Ms Sawaya said.

“We have received 57 nominations. All nominations received will be sent to the Emirates Arabian Horse Society (EAHS) to make the final decision on the horses which are eligible to take part. We will strictly abide by the rules and regulations of the EAHS, but the final selection of the 16 runners will be our decision,” she added.

Mr. Essam Abdulla of EAHS said, “The main objective is to improve the quality of our breeding because this is our identity and for this reason we need to protect our industry and ensure that we have the best lines of Purebred Arabian Sires and Dams.”

“We, as a governing body, have softened some of our restrictions at the beginning of this year and the third generation of banned stallions has been allowed to race in the UAE,” Abdulla clarified.

“I’m not in a position to name any of them at this moment, but we are updating our records and stud books to keep things going and the few restrictions which we are holding are necessary to protect our breeders and breeding process,” he said.

Giving details of the other races on November 8, which include the finals of the HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies World Championship (IFAHR) and HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Apprentice World Championship (IFAHR), Ms Sawaya said the entire day’s card will be sponsored by the Festival.

“The main race, the Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Jewel Crown, carries a total purse of 1.2million Euros while the prize-money for the HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies World Championship (IFAHR) is Dh200.000. The HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Apprentice World Championship (IFAHR) final will carry a total prize-money of Dh150.000 with Dh 80.000 for the Wathba Stud Farm Cup race and Dh 80.000 and Dh 90.000 for the other supporting two races respectively,” she confirmed.

The HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival is sustained by the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority and coordinated by Abu Dhabi Sports Council in cooperation with Emirates Racing Authority, IFAHR, Emirates Arabian Horse Society, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, General Authority of Youth and Sports Welfare with The National Archives as the official partner and Emirates airline as the official carriers and sponsored by Invest AD, National Feed and Flour Production and Marketing Co. LLC, Bloom, Petromal, Rise General Trading Co. LLC, Hayatna, Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC),  Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), Al Awani General Enterprises, Kabale, Al Wathba Centre, the UAE's General Women's Union, The Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, the HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Sports Academy, Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition 2015, Dr. Nader Saab Switzerland, Al Wathba Center, Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club, Eastern Mangroves Suites-Abu Dhabi by Jannah, Yas Channel, Omeir Travels, Racing Post and Laboratories Fadia Karam Cosmetics.

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