Kazan all set for HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Apprentice race

The stage is set for HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Apprentice World Championship race which will be run at Kazan International racecourse in Tatarstan on Wednesday, August 30, 2017, as part of the HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival.

The races gives Apprentice jockeys a chance to win and qualify for the prestigious final of the Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Apprentice World Championship which is scheduled to be held in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi on November 10, 2017.  

This race was a great hit when run in 2016 at the same venue as Belgium’s Emilie Goudman rode Katrusya, a last minute entrant to win the 1600-metre contest.

This year, again, Apprentice jockeys have come from all over the globe and among them are Chile’s Nicolas Illesca, Peru’s Erick Arevalo, Argentina’s Romulo Padilla, Jameer Allyhosan of Mauritius, Uruguay’s  Maicol De Souza, Russia’s Andrey Ivanov /Anna Makarova,  South Africa’s Lyle Hewitson and Kim Jeongjoon of South Korea.

The eight runners in the fray that will be allotted to the Apprentice jockeys through an open draw are Blacktaks, Pibedi, Batenisa, Irma, Grandinka, Arabian Queen, Martinia and Digon.

Sergey Vasilenko, the Director of Kazan International racecourse said: “We have made all preparations and we are expecting a large crowd. Purebred Arabian racing has been improving in our region and we thank the HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival for the continued support.  

Ms. Lara Sawaya, Executive Director of the HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival, General Manager of Wathba Stallions, 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) said, “We are now in the final leg of staging races around the globe for this calendar year.”

“The HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Apprentice World Championship has so far in 2017 visited Oman, Morocco, Italy, Germany, Denmark, United Kingdom and Poland. After this Kazan leg, the Apprentice Championship series will be part of the Festival’s exciting debut at Monmouth Park in New Jersey, USA on September 4. After that the Apprentice jockeys will get two more opportunities with races in France and Algeria,” said Ms. Sawaya.

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, 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 Ayadi LLC, Global United Veterinary Services LLC,  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, 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 2017, 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
Photo: Morhaf Al Assaf