Easter Man, Quick Sand AA dead heat in Grade 1 Sheikh Zayed Cup

Sweden’s Henriksson wins HH Sheikha Fatima ladies race

The Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan 100 years Cup (Grade 1) race at the Sam Houston Racing Park on Saturday, March 3, 2018 will be remembered for a long, long time.

The Grade 1 race carrying a prize fund of US$ 48,500 and run over a distance of seven furlongs ended in a dead heat and even the photo could not separate stable mates Easter Man under Rodolfo Guerra and Quick Sand AA under Quincy Hamilton. The result was equally memorable for trainer Jerenesto Torrez and owners Joseph and Betty Gillis as Easter Man and Quick Sand AA are trained and owned by them respectively while the horse chasing the duo home- RB Nash under Keiber Coa- is also handled by Torrez.

Earlier in the HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies World Championship race, it was an easy win for Uptown Sandy Girl under Sweden’s Tina Henriksson with RB Kinkie Boots under Dutch lady jockey Cindy Klinkenberg and Pams Masquerade under UK’s Antonia Peck finishing in that order.

Uptown Sandy Girl under Sweden’s Tina Henriksson

In the Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan 100 years Cup (Grade 1) race, Quick Sand AA was caught in the early traffic even as RB Nash and Easter Man battled each other further up. With about a quarter of a mile to go, Easter Man under Guerra looked to hold the edge with RB Nash under Coa in pursuit. But Quick Sand AA under Hamilton came with a terrific run on the outside and caught Easter Man on the line. The photo-finish declared it as a dead heat between Eastern Man and Quick Sand AA while in third was RB Nash, completing a top three finish for trainer Torrez.

After posting a comfortable win on Uptown Sandy Girl, the winning jockey Tina Henriksson said, “This is like a dream come true, winning the HH Sheikha Fatima Ladies race. I am very excited and looking forward to participate in the final of the world championship to be held in November.”

HE Saeed Mubarak Al Muhairi, Consul of the United Arab Emirates in Houston, 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 International Federation of Horse Racing Academies (IFHRA), Chairperson of Ladies & Apprentice Racing Committees in the International Federation of Arabian Horse Racing Authorities (IFAHR) and Dr. Abdulla Al Raisi, Director General of National Archives gave away the trophies to the winning connections of the two races.

Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan 100 years Cup

HE Al Muhairi hailed the success of Saturday’s races and also the success of the HH Sheikh Mansoor Festival in spreading Purebred Arabian horse racing.

“We thank HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE and Minister of Presidential Affairs and HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak, the Mother of the UAE for taking the UAE’s heritage sport to all parts of the world. It is a matter of pride for us to be here at these races,” the UAE envoy said. 

Dr. Al Raisi said, “The National Archives is thankful to HH Sheikh Mansoor for giving us this opportunity to be part of this huge success story that the Festival is all about. We at National Archives are also marking our Golden Jubilee.”

Ms. Sawaya said, “This year the Festival is not only marking its 10th year but we are celebrating the Festival in the 100th year since the birth of Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who was a passionate supporter of Purebred Arabian racing.”

“We will be back in the US for the HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak International Awards and the US Darley Awards that will be held on April 7, 2018 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. This will be followed by the third running of the HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Darley Award Stakes- a US$100,000 Grade 1 Event at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California on April 8,” Ms. Sawaya said.

HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies World Championship

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, Al Massood Automobiles and Nissan Middleast as official car partners, in cooperation with Emirates Racing Authority, IFAHR, Emirates Arabian Horse Society, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, General Authority for Sports 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 2018, Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club, Eastern Mangroves Suites-Abu Dhabi by Jannah, Anantara Eastern Mangroves Spa and Resort.

Source: HH SH Mansoor Festival / Satya Narayan