Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Cup 2016 series signs off with a Group 2 contest in Toulouse

Thabit (right) and Mirna in a 1-2 finish for HH Sheikh Mansoor in Tarbes on October 16

UAE owners strongly represented in Thursday’s meeting

HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival will mark its final race in the Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Cup 2016 series at the Toulouse Hippodrome in France on Thursday, October 27, 2016.

The Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Cup (Group 2)-French Arabian Breeder's Challenge, a mile’s contest for three-year old fillies has attracted eight promising runners and is one of the four Group 2 races for Purebred Arabians to be staged at the Toulouse racecourse.

The race is held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs.  

Starting as a strong favourite to win the Euros 45,000 Group 2 event will be Diva Du Paon, a three-year-old Munjiz filly to be ridden by big race jockey Christophe Soumillon. Diva Du Paon and Soumillon had finished third to Samaa at Saint Cloud on September 30 in a Euros 100,000 Group 1 race and in Thursday’s race take on six other rivals who all finished behind her in that last contest.

Muneera, fourth behind Diva Du Paon in St. Cloud along with Ainhoa Winwin and the Faisal Seddiq Al Mutawa-owned Abudhabi Princess will be the others worth following in this race.

In the Colts contest of the French Arabian Breeder's Challenge, another Group 2 race, HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan-owned Dahham and Rmmas are in the fray. Zikreet under Julien Auge should be the one to beat in this race after the 3-year-old son of Dahess finished a smart second to Motrag in a Group 1 race in St Cloud on September 30. Dahham under Alexander Guillemin was 6th in that race but will be looking to overturn that result as he has two wins prior to that in Deauville (August 13) and Chantilly (June 22). Rmmas under Ioritz Mendzibal will be looking to better his second-place finish to Zikreet on September 4 in Dax. Apart from these three the other main challengers in this Group 3 race are Barnamaj, owned by HH Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Deputy Ruler and UAE Minister of Finance and Al Mounteze Monlau.

HH Sheikh Mansoor’s Mirna and HH Sheikh Hamdan’s Jamaayil carry UAE hopes in the French Arabian Breeder's Challenge Sprint 45.000 € (Gr. II-PA) over 1400 metres. However Christophe Soumillon on Ghazwa and Julien Auge on Aba’ath will fancy their chances while Lahoob at 7 years can still pose a challenge.

A classy field in the French Arabian Breeder's Challenge Classic over 2200 metres includes HH Sheikh Hamdan’s Aghsaan, Europe’s Triple Crown winner Ziyadd and HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Apprentice World Championship series’ Tarbes leg winner Thabit- both owned by HH Sheikh Mansoor. Sha’hir and Valentin are also in the fray and this promises to be another fine Euros 45,000 Group 2 contest.

Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Cup European Triple Crown favourite Ziyadd seen winning the Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Cup (Listed) race at the Capanelle race course in Rome earlier this year

  “The Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Cup (Group 2)-French Arabian Breeder's Challenge is the last big race of 2016 before the Festival’s finale which culminates in the Euros 1.2 million Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Cup Crown Jewel-IPIC (Group 1) – the richest race in the world for Purebred Arabian horses on November 13, 2016 in Abu Dhabi,” said Ms. Lara Sawaya, Executive Director of the HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival, Chairperson of the Int’l Federation of Horse Racing Academies (IFHRA) and Chairperson of Ladies & Apprentice Racing Committees in the International Federation of Arabian Horse Racing Authorities (IFAHR).

“We will be seeing some of the most promising three-year-old fillies in the Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Cup while some classy horses owned by HH Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and HH Sheikh Mansoor will be seen in action in other races slated for the day,” 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.

The four Group 2 races in Toulouse on October 27 highlighted by the Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Cup (Group 2) - French Arabian Breeder's Challenge along with runners, jockeys and trainers:

Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Cup (Group 2)- French Arabian Breeder's Challenge ( 3 YO Fillies), 45.000 €, 1600 metres: ABUDHABI PRINCESS (Jockey-Valentin Seguy) Trainer- C. Gourdain; MUNEERA (David Michaux) D. de Watrigant; DHABAB (Julien Grosjean) P. Sogorb; KARIMAH (François-Xavier Bertras)  F. Rohaut; CHÉRIE DE GHAZAL (Ioritz Mendizabal) Mrs Jean-Francois Bernard, DIVA DU PAON (Christophe Soumillon) D. de Watrigant; DAISY DES VIALETTES (Roberto-Carlos Montenegro) Mrs. J. F. Bernard; AINHOA WINWIN (Jean-Bernard Eyquem) Mrs. J. F. Bernard.

French Arabian Breeder's Challenge (Colts & Geldings) 45.000 € (Gr. II-PA) 1.600m: BARNAMAJ (François-Xavier Bertras) F. Rohaut; ZIKREET (Julien Augé) T. Fourcy; DAHHAM (Alexandre Gavilan) D. Guillemin; RMMAS (Ioritz Mendizabal) D. Guillemin; AL MOUNTEZE MONLAU (Jean-Bernard Eyquem) Mrs Jean-Francois Bernard; AL HANTAR MONLAU (David Morisson) C. Gourdain; NAFEES (Valentin Seguy) C. Gourdain

French Arabian Breeder's Challenge Sprint 45.000 € (Gr. II-PA) 1.400m: LAHOOB (Antoine Hamelin) Beverley Deutrom; ABA'ATH(Julien Augé) T. Fourcy; AMJAD AL AZIZ (Mauro Manueddu) R. Simon, JAMAAYIL (François-Xavier Bertras) P. Collington; GHAZWA(Christophe Soumillon) D. de Watrigant; MIRNA (Flavien Garnier) C. Gourdain; WOROOD (David Morisson) C. Gourdain;

French Arabian Breeder's Challenge Classic 45.000 €,(Gr. II-PA) 2.200m: SHA'HIR (Mickaël Forest) F. Rohaut; VALENTIN(Christophe Soumillon) D. de Watrigant; KHATAAB (Jérôme Cabre) T. Fourcy; THABIT (Ioritz Mendizabal) F. Sanchez; ZIYADD (Jean-Bernard Eyquem) A. de Watrigant; AGHSAAN (François-Xavier Bertras) P. Collington; SAMIMA (Antoine Hamelin) Karin van den Bos.

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