H.H. Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Flat Racing Festival

First race meet of fall season in Abu Dhabi to include 13 lady riders

Lara Sawaya, Festival Director, Sami Al Boenain, President of IFHAR, Adnan Al Nuaimi, Director General, ADEC - by Pamela Burton

29 October, Abu Dhabi - Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club Director General, Adnan Sultan Saif Al Nuaimi, announced the dates of 15 days of racing for the 2011-2012 season at a press conference held Saturday. The first race will go off on Sunday, October 30 with the race calender ending on March 18, 2012. The end of October meet will include the Wathba Stud Farm Cup for Private Owners, the Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Prestige Cup and, new on the Abu Dhabi calender, the H.H. Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies IFAHR Cup Prestige featuring amateur riders. The support of this race brings together 13 ladies representing different countries to compete on horses from top Abu Dhabi owners and trainers.

The 1600m IFAHR Cup, sixth on Sunday’s card, will feature the UAE’s, Shathra Al Hajjaj, who will ride Baher (Tidjani x Bryans Time) trained by Eric Lemartinel, Fatma Al Manji from Oman taking the reins of Myhal (Amer x Babelia) trained by Salim Al Hakmani, Berit Weber from Germany who will go out on Quite A Show (Falina Des Fabries x French Braids), trained by Doug Watson, Jawass (Dormane x El Afia) under the hands of Jadey Pietrasiewicz from the Netherlands, Jzeerat Alsadyaat (Darike x Florine De Carrere) ridden by Italy’s Elisabette Marcialis and trained by Ernst Oertel, Omayyade Thabet (Dormane x Zazia Bejia) trained by Ahmed Al Shamsi and taken round by Emma Sayer of Great Britain, USA rider, Sandee Beattie riding Bareq (Bibi De Carrere x Perle D’Ecume), trained by Musabeh Al Muhairi, Najem Al Khalij (Bibi De Carrere x Rhapsody In Blue) ridden by Catherine Burri from Switzerland and trained by Saifaidin Deeb, GRP Mudhish (Ezil x Fmr Hadassah) ridden by Qatar’s Khadija Albastaki and trained by Bakhit Al Ketbi, Kung Fu (Bibi De Carrere x Lyesse),trained by Saifaidin Deeb, who will go out with Rachael Blackmore of Ireland aboard, and RS Khaan (Ezil x Kontrolnaia) trained by Dr. Jaber Bittar, will be under the guidance of Sandrine Hagenbach of France. Naseem Al Reef (Nez D’Or x Diskoteka), trained by Eric Lemartinel, will partner with Ladie’s Fegentri Cup World Champion, Tina Henriksson from Sweden, as she takes her first ride on the Abu Dhabi course.

The series of Ladies Fegentri rides supported by H.H. Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak has been expanded to 12 races for the 2012 season and will have races in Australia, Texas, Morocco, the United Kingdom, Berlin, Stockholm, Poland and France.
The races held under the patronage of the H.H. Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Flat Racing Festival will go from 51 Global races in 2011 to 74 races in 2012, according to Festival Director, Lara Sawaya.

The Global Arabian Flat Racing Festival is organised by the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) and co-ordinated by Abu Dhabi Sports Council in association with Emirates Arabian Horse Society with support from Invest AD, Areej Al Ameerat, La Sirene, the UAE’s General Women’s Union, Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition 2011, Wathba Stud Farm and Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club, Emirates Airlines is the official carrier.

Abu Dhabi hosts season opener on Sunday

Dubai, UAE, October 27 2011 – Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club will host the opening meeting of the 2011/12 season with a six race card on Sunday.

Pat Buckley, Clerk Of The Course and Racing Secretary, is looking forward to the opening day, commenting: “It has been a few years since we had the opening meeting here at Abu Dhabi and it will be great to kick the season off. We have a really good card with some top lady riders in the featured HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies’ IFAHR Cup.

“That is the final race, following a top quality Prestige Stakes for the Purebred Arabians, with several genuine Group 1 runners in it. That is part of the Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Cup series, while the Thoroughbred race looks very competitive as well, and it will be great to see the likes of Jamie Spencer and Michael Hills back in Abu Dhabi. We have plenty of entertainment organised and are hoping for a good crowd and an enjoyable meeting.”

Twelve are set to go to post for the HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies’ IFAHR Cup, a conditions race over 1600m with female jockeys representing 12 different countries, including the UAE’s Shathra Al Hajjaj, Oman’s Fatma Al Manji and Qatar’s Khadija Albastaki. They are joined by some very experienced riders from Europe and the USA.

Al Hajjah rides Baher for Eric Lemartinel and the pair should go close with Jazeerat Alsadyaat, the mount of Italy’s Elisabetta Marcialis, looking a big danger for trainer Ernst Oertel.

South African Oertel is the new trainer at Al Asayl Stables and has five runners on the evening, including Time Out and Frysk Me Now in the Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Prestige Cup, also over 1600m.

The trainer said: “This is an exciting new challenge and I am looking forward to the season ahead. Jazeerat Alsadyaat will hopefully run well, while Frysk Me Now and Time Out are going well but that looks a very hot race. Alawal Walakeer may be our best chance in the second race, the fillies’ maiden.”

Champion Jockey Wayne Smith has three rides on the card and said: “Aberfledy’s race is a Group 1 in all bar name and he looks to face a stiff task. In the Thoroughbred race Bin Shamardal will appreciate the return to turf and has been in decent form at home but I would be hopeful rather than confident.”

Champion trainer Ali Rashid Al Raihe has three runners in that Thoroughbred contest, a 1600m handicap, with stable jockey Royston Ffrench partnering Ramadi and Tadhg O’Shea on Musleh for his main employer, His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

Assistant trainer Jilani Siddiqui said: “All three of ours are working well and it will be interesting to get them on the track. They are our only runners as we do not have many Purebred Arabians now. Of the three I would perhaps expect most from Musleh but there is little between the trio.”

About Emirates Racing Authority

Emirates Racing Authority (ERA) is the internationally recognised governing body for horse racing in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It administers all phpects of the sport, including the implementation of the UAE Rules of Racing, the registration of racing horses and the licensing of all trainers, jockeys, officials and stable personnel. The Authority handles all entries and declarations for all race meetings in the UAE and administers the internationally approved Emirates Thoroughbred Stud Book. www.emiratesracing.com