Last year’s winner Alibaba Del Sol starts favorite in 9-horse field
7 February 2015, St. Moritz ~ Alibaba Del Sol under jockey Daniel Porcu will be looking to win the HH Sheikh Mansoor bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival’s Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Listed Cup for the second year in succession on the frozen lake in St. Moritz in Switzerland on Sunday 8 February.
Nine horses go to post in this unique race which is held on the snow on the on the frozen lake in St. Moritz in the beautiful canton of Graubünden.
Trainer Karin van den Bos saddles Alibaba Del Sol and the biggest challenge for the combination is likely to come from Nil Ashal, third in this race last year as well as third in the HH Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Ladies World Championship also held here last year a week after the Sheikh Zayed Cup. The other runners are Madjy, Daraahem, Myrtille de Jura, Niraan, Choumouk Qardabiyah and Nil Kamal.
Sunday’s race on the White Turf will be a unique, exclusive, top-class event with exciting horse-racing, gourmet catering, lively music and inspiring art exhibitions, all taking place in winter sunshine on the frozen lake among the stunningly beautiful, snow-capped mountains of St Moritz making this event a special experience.
Silvio M Staub, White Turf CEO said, “This tremendous commitment of the HH Sheikh Mansoor bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival is a great honour for our event.”
“The quality of the field is strong and last year’s winner is back in the fray. For HH Sheikh Mansoor bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival, this Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Listed Cup is a featured event and with packed crowds arriving in Switzerland to watch these events it is a great advertisement for Purebred Arabian horses,” said Ms Lara Sawaya, Executive Director of the HH Sheikh Mansoor bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival, Chairman of the International Federation of Horse Racing Academies (IFHRA) and Chairman of Ladies & Apprentice Racing Committees in the International Federation of Arabian Horse Racing Authorities (IFAHR).
“After proving their racing ability on the dirt and turf racecourses in Gulf, Asia, Europe, Africa, Australia and the US, the Purebred Arabians will once again steal the limelight on the ice and snow course in St Moritz,” she said.
The race will be telecast live in the UAE and will also be streamed live on the web at: www.sheikhmansoorfestival.com.
The HH Sheikh Mansoor bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival is organised by the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority and coordinated by Abu Dhabi Sports Council in association with Emirates Racing Authority, IFAHR and Emirates Arabian Horse Society, supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs , the General Authority of Youth and Sports Welfare with The National Archives as the official partner and Emirates airline as the official carriers and sponsored by Invest AD, Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC), Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), Al Awani General Enterprises, Kabale, Al Wathba Centre, the UAE’s General Women’s Union, the HH Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Ladies Sports Academy, Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition 2015, Dr. Nader Saab Switzerland, Al Wathba Center, Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club, Eastern Mangroves Suites-Abu Dhabi by Jannah, Abu Dhabi Sports Channel and Racing Post.
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