HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies race in The Netherlands

Group 3 contest has nine lady jockeys in the fray

Silja Storen on L'eau de Tigre winning the HH Sheikha Fatima Ladies race in Duindigt last year

Nine lady jockeys drawn from around the globe contest the HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival’s HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies World Championship race (Group 3) at the Duindigt race course in The Netherlands on Sunday, July 23, 2017.

The 1800-metre contest on turf  carries a prize fund of Euros 30,000 and more importantly the winning lady jockey of the race will qualify for the HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies World Championship final to be run in Abu Dhabi in November.

The horse and lady jockeys in the race are Al Murjan under Hungary’s Virginia Drexler; Ishraaq under Norway’s Emilie Finckenhagen; Lou Raynal under Cindy Klinkenberg of The Netherlands; Mahfuz D.A under Ireland’s Gillian Ryan; Raya C under Sweden’s Julia Presits; Ramiz Al Aziz under Poland’s Aleksandra Kaleta; Suman D.A under Germany’s Claudia Fleissner; Chalwa De Breull under Swiss lady jockey Nadia Burger and Orage D.A under Spain’s Beatriz Alonso.

Among the nine lady jockeys two are professionals- Poland’s Aleksandra Kaleta and Swiss lady jockey Nadia Burger.

Ishraaq, a 5-year-old bay mare has won two of her three starts and in between these two wins this year in Sweden also finished 7th to Macallan in the Festival’s Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Cup. 

Raya C, owned by Mrs. Maragret De Ruiter, has been running in the Festival’s races since 2014 and has also won the Wathba Stud Farm Cup and will be looking to better that under Sweden’s  Presits.

While Kaleta rides Ramiz Al Aziz the other professional Burger is on Chalwa De Bruell.

Jockeys who took part in the 2016 race

Ms. Lara Sawaya, Executive Director of Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival, Chairperson of 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: “Duindigt race course is a very popular stop for the Festival and has staged all races held by the Festival. With two professional jockeys it will be an exciting race as they compete to clinch a berth in the finals of the prestigious HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies World Championship series.”

The races are part of the HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival which 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