Nil Aziz wins Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Listed Cup
on White Turf

St. Moritz, Switzerland - Swiss trainer Mrs Franziska Aeschbacher was once again the winning handler when Nil Aziz under Vaclav Janacek stormed home to victory in the HH Sheikh  Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival’s Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Cup (Listed) on the snow tracks of the frozen lake of St Moritz in Switzerland on Sunday, February 12.

Aeschbacher’s Nil Kamla was last year’s winner along with three other stablesmates were in the starting line-up as were the two veteran‘ campaigners Athlete Del Sol and Alibaba Del Sol. But Janacek on the 5-year-old grey Dahess son Nil Aziz produced a winning burst in the 1600-metre contest to win the 38,500 Swiss francs race organized under the umbrella of the HH Sheikh Mansoor Festival.

Bred and trainer by Aeschbacher, Nil Aziz finished ahead of the two Dutch raiders and former winners here on the White Turf from trainer Karin van den Bos‘ stables- Athlete Del Sol under  Alexander Pietsch  and Alibaba Del Sol under Daniel Porcu.

Mrs. Franziska Aeschbacher was delighted with the victory. “This is a great win in front of over 9000 spectators and against some very strong rivals. Nil Aziz is our own bred and trained horse and that makes it extra special,” she said.

“We are overjoyed to have been rewarded today by such exceptional conditions for this event following a year of tremendous effort by all’, said Silvio Martin Staub, CEO of White Turf. “The active participants also only had good things to say about the conditions on the 60-centimetre thick ice sheet of the lake of St. Moritz,” added.

Most of the Purebred Arabian horses will be seen once again in action when the HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival’s HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies World Championship race will be staged here on Sunday, February 26. 

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