St. Moritz White Turf to host HH Sheikh Mansoor Festival race on Sunday

Saint Moritz 2015

Del Sol pair starts favourites in Sheikh Zayed Cup opener

St. Moritz, Switzerland - After stopping in Oman and Australia the HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival moves to a third continent this year where a Listed Cup event will kick start the Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Cup race series in Switzerland.

The 1600-metre race with a prize fund of nearly 40,000 Swiss Francs will be held in the winter sunshine on the frozen lake, amidst the snow-capped mountains of St Moritz. The event being part of the White Turf  extravaganza which spreads over three week-ends on 7th, 14th and 21st February and is an annual affair.

Trainer Karin van den Bos saddles Alibaba Del Sol and Athlete Del Sol, the pair having finished first and second in this race last year for owner Landgoed Waterland.

While the 11-year-old Alibaba Del Sol will be looking to repeat that feat, the 11-year-old Athlete Del Sol will be racing for the first time since his run in the world’s richest race for Purebred Arabians, the Euros 1.2 million Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Crown Jewel (Group 1) held in Abu Dhabi last November. He had failed to impress with a 11th-placed run to Kalino and the van den Bos runner will be looking to make up for that run.

Swiss challengers Nil Ashal and Nil Kamla and Madjy have also run on the ice/snow turf here last year and will be in the fray along with German raider Ainhoa Djass and another Swiss representative in Nil Aziz.

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 (IFAHR), said, “The race here on Sunday starts off with what will culminate in the world’s richest race for Purebred Arabian horses – the Euros 1.2 million Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Crown Jewel (Group 1) in November.”

“The pair of Alibaba Del Sol and Athlete Del Sol are superstars in Europe and have been consistent performers in the HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival’s races. This race on the ice-snow tracks offers a unique challenge and another opportunity for the Purebred Arabian horses to display their racing skills,” Ms Sawaya added.

“White Turf, a unique, exclusive, top-class event with exciting horse-racing, gourmet catering, lively music and inspiring art exhibitions, all taking place in St Moritz. This spectacular annual event where race-horse owners, trainers and jockeys from all over the world meet up as well and is a ‘must-attend’ fixture on the calendar for local people,” said Silvio Martin Staub, President & CEO White Turf.

“The feature events on two of the three race meetings are the flat racing by the Purebred Arabian horses in the HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival-supported races and we are happy to host them here,” he added.

The Festival’s HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies World Championship (IFAHR) race will be held here on February 21.

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 Paris Turf and Laboratories Fadia Karam Cosmetics.

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