Paddys Day favourite in Pleasanton showdown

Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Cup Triple Jewel series

Pleasanton, California - Paddys Day, the winner of the Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Cup Triple Jewel series last year and the winner of the Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Cup – Amethyst Jewel,  Grade 1 race at the Sam Houston Race Park in Texas in March this year will be the one to beat in Saturday’s Emerald Jewel race of the series at Pleasanton in California, July 2.

Pleasanton stages both the Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Arabian Cup Grade II – Emerald Arabian Triple Jewel second leg as well as the 11 race in this year’s H.H. Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies World Championship series.

The Scott Powell-trained Paddys Day will be starting off as the favourite even as the trainer’s brother Mark saddles four runners in the Grade II race to be run over 1200 metres (6 furlongs).  Mark’s four runners are Ayers under C.Herrera, Uptown Dannys Boy under R Guce, Raineing Sand under S Spikes, By Golly Its Hot under J.A Crispin while Terri Eaton send out Easter Man and Sand Victor while Renee Lafleur is also double-handed with C.R Ardiente and Sammy V.

Easter Man and Sammy V could be the main danger for Paddys Day as an interesting tussle is on the cards in this second leg of the Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Cup Triple Jewel series, held under the umbrella of the HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival.

Scott Powell could well end up with a double as RB Madymoiselle under Manuela Slamanig is the fancied one in a field of 10 runners in a 1200 metre race.

TM Madamee under Nora Holm, Whadda QT under Julie Henderson, Hesster under Lisa O’Neil, Golly Zands under Rikke Sorensen, One Hot Chick under Eva Herresthal, Throughleap under Elisabeth Marcialis, RB Big N Rich under  Michelle Mullineaux and Dream Pearl under Fatma Al Manji of Oman are the other runners and lady jockeys in the fray.

Apart from RB Madymoiselle, Scott Powell’s RB Big N Rich along with Mark’s Hesster and One Hot Chick, Terri Eaton’s Dream Pearl and trainer A.Borg’s Whadda QT are all capable of making it in the final frame.

Ms Lara Sawaya, Executive Director of HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival, Chairman of the Int'l Federation of Horse Racing Academies (IFHRA), Chairman of Ladies & Apprentice Racing Committees in the International Federation of Arabian Horse Racing Authorities (IFAHR) said, “The Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Triple Jewel series is a very important one for the Festival and last year it was a big hit. This second leg will be a crucial race and one will have to wait and see if Paddys Day can repeat his feat when he carried away the bonus of US $ 150,000 in 2015. Just last week we saw the European Triple Crown winner in Ziyadd after the three race series in the same Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Cup series.”

“In the H.H. Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies World Championship series, ten lady jockeys have also clinched their spots for the November 6 finale in Abu Dhabi. On Saturday the lady jockeys get another shot to win a place and after this race we just have three more rounds to get the 14 finalists,” she said.

 “Apart from lady jockeys from ten different countries we also have top quality horses from at least eight different countries that will compete on our historic racecourse in Duindigt,” she added.

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, with National Feed and Flour Production and Marketing Co. LLC as associate sponsors, IPIC as Strategic Partner, The  National Archives as the official partner and Emirates airline as the official carriers, in cooperation with Emirates Racing Authority, IFAHR, Emirates Arabian Horse Society, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, General Authority of Youth and Sports Welfare  and sponsored by Al Aweer Stables, Ayadii LLC, Global United Veterinary Services LLC, Bloom, Petromal, Rise General Trading Co. LLC, Hayatna, Wathba Stallions, Abu Dhabi Falconers Club, Emirates Falconers Club,  Mohamed Bin Zayed Falconry and Desert Physiognomy School, Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), Al Awani General Enterprises, Kabale, Omeir Travels, Dr Nader Saab Switzerland, Laboratories Fadia Karam Cosmetics, YAS Channel, Racing Post, Paris Turf,  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 2016, Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club, Eastern Mangroves Suites-Abu Dhabi by Jannah, Anantara Eastern Mangroves Spa and Resort.

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