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Briton’s Amateur Flat and National Hunt jockey Page Fuller, 22, has been shortlisted to receive the coveted Women of the Future Sport Award sponsored by the HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival.

Nominated to receive the award in 2016 together with fellow jockey and category finalist Alice Mills, Fuller will now progress to the final judging stage with GB Short Track athlete Elise Christie, GB Rowing athlete Emily Craig, GB Goalball player Sarah Leiter and Mintridge Events Founder Alexandra Paske - five category finalists who have been selected for their exceptional talent and standout achievements in sport.

Thanks to the Festival’s commitment to raising the profile of racing and its athletes on an international scale, this is the second consecutive year British racing has achieved representation at the prestigious awards ceremony which is supported by global ambassador HRH The Countess of Wessex, patron Cherie Blair and Chairman of Burberry and the Awards judging panel, Sir John Peace.

Celebrating the accomplishments of female talent under the age of 35 in Britain, the Women of the Future Awards forms a key part of the Festival’s UK-based sponsorship portfolio given the organisation’s dedication to developing the careers of female riders through the HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies World Championship, a unique women-only race series run under the patronage of HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE and Minister of Presidential Affairs.

Ms. Lara Sawaya, Executive Director of the HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Festival commented, “On behalf of HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women's Union, Supreme President of the Family Development Foundation (FDF) and Head of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, I would like to congratulate Page who has worked so hard to return to racing following her ankle injury last year.

‘The Festival’s sponsorship of the Women of the Future Sport Award reflects our continued ambition to encourage and support women of all ages and backgrounds, not only in horseracing, but across the entire sports spectrum under the HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak umbrella.

‘Page is an inspiration to us all and we look forward to supporting her at the awards ceremony together with her talented competitors in this highly respected category. Many congratulations to Ellie MacKenzie and Joanna Mason who were also put forward for nomination, they should be very proud and we wish them every success in their riding careers.”

Fuller said of her selection, “I am over the moon just to be nominated again and so to now find myself on the shortlist with such talented and inspiring athletes is amazing! I have to thank HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak for this opportunity and for helping to push horse racing into a new spotlight.

‘I hope more people will now recognise how many pioneering female jockeys there currently are in what is traditionally a very male-dominated sport.”

Final judging will take place on Monday, 9 October 2017 where the category finalists will be interviewed and the winners selected. The trophy presentations will be made during a glittering awards dinner at London’s Hilton Hotel, Park Lane on Wednesday, 15 November 2017.

For more information about the HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Festival and the Women of the Future Awards please visitwww.sheikhmansoorfestival.com and www.womenofthefuture.co.uk. The full list of categories and finalists can be viewed viahttp://awards.womenofthefuture.co.uk/our-alumni-category/2017/.

Source: HH SH Mansoor Global Arabian Flat Racing Festival / Satya Narayan
Picture courtesy of Debbie Burt, Equine Creative Media.