The curtain came down on the second edition of the World Arabian Horse Racing Conference, organized as part of the HH Sheikh Mansoor bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Flat Racing Festival with a lively closing ceremony and gala dinner.

H.E Ali Thani Al Suwaidi, Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to The Netherlands welcomed the gathering and wished the race meeting a huge success.

Al Suwaidi also presented the World Arabian Horse Racing Conference flag to the UAE Ambassador to Germany Mohammed Ahmed Al Mahmoud, and German Arabian Racing President Dr. Paul-Jean Daverio after Sami Al Bunain, Chairman of the International Federation for Arabian Horses (IFAHR) and Lara Sawaya, Director of the Shaikh Mansoor Festival announced that Berlin will host the 2012 Conference.

Noura Khalifa Al Suwaidi, Director of the Emirates General Women Association and chairperson of the UAE Women Sport honoured the envoys, officials and media.

Earlier in the day, the three-day World Arabian Horse Racing Conference held at the Hilton Hotel Ballroom June 16 to 18, 2011 concluded with the following recommendations announced during the gala dinner:

- The conference underlined the strong determination to maintain the purity of the Arabian horse through the activation and respect of the regulatory laws;   

- To select and breed the Arabian racing horse depending not on speed alone but to ensure the characteristics of the Arabian horse was retained as far as possible;

- Horse feed and nutrition are the corner stone of good breeding and proper shaping of horses. And from this perspective, it’s strongly recommended to streamline the flow of useful information to all trainers and persons involved in the breeding industry through the concerned local and international authorities;.

- The necessity of setting up data base through the IFAHR to maintain all details and information about the Arabian horse and shall be made available for trainers to assist them in making the right choice for the breeding programme;

- To set up a consultative/advisory veterinary committee attached to the IFAHR and assigned with matters related to the Arabian racing horses including the use of medications with due observation and respect of the prevailing international laws in this regard;

- To encourage and promote the visionary initiatives of the UAE in introducing special prizes for lady jockeys in collaboration and coordination with the International Federation of Gentlemen and Lady Riders (Fegentri);

- To widen the scope of participation of Arab countries which are taking part in such events to enable them to generate the utmost benefit from them;

- To emphasize the roles of local trainers and qualify them by upgrading and increasing the numbers and quality of races and incentives;

- To raise the value of Arabian racing horses with all possible and suitable means and ways.

The delegates will now go on to witness some of the finest Arabian racing to be held in Northern Europe when the action at the Duindigt race course unfolds on Sunday afternoon.

The HH Sheikh Mansoor bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Flat Racing Festival is organized by ADACH, co-ordinated by Abu Dhabi Sports Council in association with IFAHR and Emirates Arabian Horse Society. The Festival’s activities are staged with support from Invest AD, HSBC, the UAE’s General Women’s Union, Areej Al Ameerat, La Sirene, Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition 2011,Wathba Stud Farm and Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club.