Sahabba wins Zayed Cup

18 August 2015, Ostend, Belgium ~ The Wellington race track in Ostend, Belgium, on Monday, 17 August, hosted a great race meeting as Sahabba was the spot on winner in the Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Cup (Group 3) while Briton Page Fuller clinched a berth in the HH Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Ladies World Championship.

For the Group 3 race Sahabba under Jean-Baptiste Hamel finished ahead of Labwah while Athlete Del Sol ran into third place in the 1600 metres turf contest which carried a purse of €35,000.

British lady jockey Page Fuller rode Victor to victory in the HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies World Championship race and became the 13th to qualify for 8 November finals in Abu Dhabi. Zafina DA under Jan Alexandria finished second while Warko Du Cayrou under Hungarian Hana Jurankovah finished in third place in the €30,000 race.

Fuller happy to receive her winning award

Fuller leads down the stretch

In the third race supported by the HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival, Italian Andrea Fele scored a superb win on Alibaba Del Sol in the HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Apprentice World Championship (IFAHR) to give trainer Karin van den Bos another success in the Festival. Alibaba Del Sol topped the €20,000 race with a timing of 2:31.70 with Paramour T under Belgian Valerie Debruyne and Dicky under French jockey Isis Magnin in second and third place respectively.

HE Sulaiman Al Mazroui, UAE Ambassador to Belgium, Adnan Sultan Al Nuaimi, director of the Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club, 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), Chairperson of Ladies & Apprentice Racing Committees in the International Federation of Arabian Horse Racing Authorities (IFAHR) along with other dignitaries attended the prize distribution.

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, National Feed and Flour Production and Marketing Co. LLC, 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 Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, the HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Sports Academy, Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition 2015, Bloom, Rise General Trading Co. LLC and Petromal Company, Dr. Nader Saab Switzerland, Al Wathba Center, Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club, Eastern Mangroves Suites-Abu Dhabi by Jannah, Yas Channel, Omeir Travels, Racing Post and Laboratoires Fadia Karam Cosmetics.