World Championship for Young Horses kicks off HH Sheikh Mansoor Festival-sponsored endurance rides in Verona, Italy

The HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival-sponsored by FEI World Championship for Young Horses, kicks off at the Italian Endurance Festival 2015 at the Valeggio Sul Mincio in Verona, Italy on Saturday, September 26, 2015 and will be followed by the HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Endurance CEIO and the HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival Cup rides on September 27.

All three rides are part of the Italian Endurance Festival 2015 and a press conference was held with HE Saqr Nasser Ahmed Al Raisi -the UAE Ambassador to Italy, Sulaiman Al Mazroui-the UAE Ambassador to Belgium, Dr Abdul Rahim Al Awadhi from the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Aref Alawani, General Secretary of Abu Dhabi Sports Council, Dr. Abdulla Elreyes, Director-General of the UAE National Archives, Ministry of Presidential Affairs, Italian officials Diego –President of the event and Ettore Riello- Director of Verona International Fair, Ms Lara Sawaya ,  Executive Director of the HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival, Chairperson of the International Federation of Horse Racing Academies (IFHRA) and Chairperson  of Ladies & Apprentice Racing Committees in the International Federation of Arabian Horse Racing Authorities attending among others.

“We convey our greetings to the Rulers of the UAE and leaders and people of the UAE on the occasion of Eid Festival,” said HE Saqr Nasser Ahmed Al Raisi, the UAE Ambassador to Italy and the other envoys.

“We thank 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 for their support to racing and endurance involving Purebred Arabian horses,” said Al Raisi, the UAE Ambassador.

Aref Alawani, General Secretary of Abu Dhabi Sports Council, reiterated support and priority to equestrian sport and said: “In the UAE we are very keen to keep traditional sport like Arabian racing and endurance always in the spotlight. We have achieved good results in these sports and we will keep driving ahead with our focus on the sports which are part of our culture and heritage.”

“We are delighted to be back here in Verona and Italy will be in the limelight next year as Rome will be hosting the World Arabian Horse Racing Conference in 2016,” said Ms Lara Sawaya.

“Last year the UAE girls did very well to win the individual Gold and Bronze medals and the Team Gold and we hope they once again compete well against the strong international teams,” she said.

“With so many families attending this event we will be having raffle draws that will allow families to win visits to our November 3-8 ‘One World, 6 Continents’  Festival finale in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The top five finishers in the World Championship for Young Horses will also be invited to the finals,” Ms Sawaya said.

Ettore Riello- Director of Verona International Fair said, “The Verona Festival has been going on for the past 117 years and with the support of the HH Sheikh Mansoor Festival we are now getting bigger. This is a scenic and historically important part of Italy and we are expecting large crowds for the event.”

Over 200 riders are expected to take part in the three rides over September 26 and 27, all supported by the Festival of HH Sheikh Mansoor. In Saturday’s event, 81 pairs representing 12 nations will compete in the FEI World Championship for Young Horses which will be run over 120-km in four stages.

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