Gala dinner brings curtain down on US Darley Awards and International HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Annual Darley Awards
5 April 2015, Los Angeles, California, USA ~ The 2015 HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Annual Darley Awards Gala Dinner was held at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel at the intersection of Rodeo Drive and Wilshire Boulevard on Saturday evening, 4 April. The dinner was the finale of the two days of the Darley Awards 2015, which began when guests and honorees walked the red carpet at the Dolby Theatre for Friday’s Awards evening Ceremony.
Dinner guests were treated to another magical evening which began with a fashion show by Syrian designer, Manal Ajaj.
The event was attended by UAE Consular General to the USA in Los Angeles, Abdulla Al Subosi, who spoke of the excellent partnership between the UAE and the US in trade and commerce for both countries.
Darley Awards Sponsor, the HH Sheikh Mansoor bin Zayed al Nahyan Global Arabian Flat Racing Festival, was introduced by Executive Director, Lara Sawaya, who thanked the award winners and guests for their love of the Arabian horse and gave credit to HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak, Mother of the UAE, for her initiative and support of the international awards which encourages women who work in the field of Arabian horse racing.
The posh event was highlighted by the 22nd annual Arabian Racing Cup (ARC) Stallion Auction which encouraged worldwide bidding on ten internationally known Champion Stallion breedings. Spirited bidding brought in almost $80,000 which will be used by the Arabian Racing Cup, (The Cup) for ongoing projects including prize money and sponsorship for racing and Breeder Incentive rewards throughout the US. The highest bid of the auction was $40,000 for a breeding to top stallion Munjiz, bought by Lara Sawaya. Other renowned stallion breedings at the auction were to Dahess, General, Grilla, Majd Al Arab, Nivour De Cardonne, Mahabb, Madjani, TH Richie and TM Fred Texas.
Denise Gault, Arabian Racing Cup Chief Steward and 2015 Lifetime Award winner thanked the guests who had arrived from around the world for the ceremony and said, “We are excited to continue the Arabian Racing Cup tradition and we are once again honored by our main sponsor, the HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival for their participation in this most prestigious event.”
The Arabian Racing Cup is a nonprofit corporation founded by Dr. Sam Harrison, originally chartered in 1983 and currently run by its Board of Stewards. The Cup is dedicated to the national and international promotion of breeding and racing purebred Arabian horses.
The Darley Awards were founded in 1987 and are the crowning jewel of the Arabian Racing Cup. The event is a solid tradition that has become a foundation of American Arabian Racing. This distinguished annual ceremony recognizes the most outstanding racehorses, jockeys, owners, trainers and breeders of the Arabian horse community. In 2012, the Cup joined together with the HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Flat Racing Festival to further promote the prestigious Darley Awards event on an international level.
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 in cooperation with Emirates Racing Authority, IFAHR, Emirates Arabian Horse Society, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 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, Yas Channel, Omeir Travels and Racing Post.
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