Stage set for HH Sheikh Mansoor Festival finale from Nov 6-10, 2018

2017 Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Jewel Crown

The stage is set for fitting finale to a milestone year in a decade of success of the HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival.

The year 2018 completes 10 years of the HH Sheikh Mansoor Festival, one of the most successful endeavors to promote Arabian horse racing while the UAE has also marked the year as it is the 100th birth anniversary of the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founder of the UAE and a passionate promoter of Arabian horses.

The Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club’s turf course will once again come alive on Friday, November 9, 2018, as the world’s richest race for Purebred Arabian horses will cap an evening of top class races, all for Purebred Arabian horses.

RB Burn, running in the colours of HH Sheikh Sultan Bin Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and trained by Eric Lemartinel, will be looking to claim the Euros 1.2 million Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Jewel Crown (Group 1) race.

Winner of this race in 2016, RB Burn crossed the finish line first last year too but a Stewards’ verdict ruled in favour of second-placed Muraaqib. The 6-year-old is back and leads a classy field of 16 runners that contest the feature race that also has last year’s third-placed Chaddad in the fray.

Friday’s finale of the HH Sheikh Mansoor Festival 2018 racing calendar also features the grand finals of three other global championships that have stopped in various cities around the world.

The HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies World Championship, the HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Apprentice Jockey Championship and the newly-added Sheikha Lateefa Bint Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan International Pony race finals. Also on the cards is the Wathba Stallions Cup which will all be worked off before the world’s richest race.

Ms. Lara Sawaya, Executive Director of HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival, Chairperson of the International Federation of Horse Racing Academies (IFHRA) and Chairperson of Ladies & Apprentice Racing Committees in the International Federation of Arabian Horse Racing Authorities (IFAHR) said: “The year 2018 has been a milestone year for the Festival and the global success over the last ten years reflects the support and guidance of His Highness Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE and Minister of Presidential Affairs and Her Highness 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.”

“On Tuesday, November 6 the officials draw for the Euros 1.2 million Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Jewel Crown (Group 1) and the other world championship races slated for November 9, will be held at 12 noon at the National Archives,” she said.
On Wednesday, November 7, a ‘Meeting with the Stars’ will begin at 6.00 am at the Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club racecourse with live coverage on Yas TV and later at 3.00 pm a Press Conference will be held at the Anantara Ballroom.

“On Thursday the Festival will host a meeting of the International Federation of Horse Racing Academies, IFHRA,” Ms Sawaya said. Headquartered in Abu Dhabi, IFHRA comes under the umbrella of HH Sheikh Mansoor Racing Festival. The same day the documentary, ‘Leg Up, a Journey back into the Saddle’ will be screened at the National Archives auditorium.

After Friday’s race meeting, all the visitors and participants will get a chance to watch some endurance action on Saturday as the Festival hosts the Al Wathba Endurance Challenge and later in the night a Gala Dinner will bring the curtain down on the Festival’s finale.

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 carrier, in cooperation with Emirates Racing Authority, IFHRA, IFAHR, Emirates Arabian Horse Society, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abu Dhabi Youth Council, General Authority for Sports and sponsored by Ayadi LLC, Global United Veterinary Services LLC, Nissan Middleast Al Massood Automobiles, Nirvana Travels and Tourism LLC, Equicare Veterinary Services, Alawal Stud, Cavalos Equine Care & Supplies, SET Sustainable Environmental Technologies, Al Awani General Enterprises, Omeir Travels, Kabale, YAS Channel, Abu Dhabi Falconers Club, Emirates Falconers Club, Mohammed Bin Zayed Falconry and Desert Physiognomy School, 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 and Anantara Hotel.

Source: HH SH Mansoor Festival / Satya Narayan
Photos: Morhaf Al Assaf