HH Sheikha Fatima Ladies & Apprentice events on Friday, 20 January
2016 16 Ladies Festival Champion
19 January 2017, Muscat, Oman ~ The 9th edition of the globe-trotting HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival begins with two races at the Al Rahba racecourse on Friday, 20 Januar,y on a day when the Oman Derby will also be run.
Ten lady jockeys will line up for the Euros 30,000 HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies World Championship (IFAHR) race which will be run over 1600 metres. Leading the pack is local lady jockey Azhar Al Wardi riding Colbanric. All the lady jockeys are partnered with the Omani-based horses following a draw and that will be making it an even-playing field for all ten aspirants.
Other lady jockeys in the fray are Anne Engels on Burnin Rubber; French lady Julie Henderson on Hector; Germany’s Eva Herresthal on Al Muntaser; Italian Ilaria Saggiomo on Kasib, Ireland’s Helen Mooney on Rabdan; Dutch lady jockey Cindy Kilkenberg on Dheram Al Naif, Sweden’s Malin Holmberg on Shadan, UK’s Jodie Hughes on BF Asareah and former ladies world champion Astrid Wullschleger of Austria on Al Sawab.
In the Euros 20,000 HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Apprentice Jockeys World Championship (IFHRA), making its debut in Oman, 12 Apprentice jockeys will open the 2017 series and the Omanis will have a lot to cheer with three of their countrymen in the fray.
2016 Apprentice Champion
Saif Al Balushi, Shakir Al Balushi and Yahya Al Hamdani are the three Omani Apprentice jockeys and the other nine are drawn from around the world.
The jockeys and their horses are: Saif Al Balushi on RW Starry Night; Shakir Al Balushi on Tazeez; and Yahya Al Hamdani on Brigand De Faust, Bahrain’s Sadeq Hameed on Assil Al Shajjaa; Belgium’s Felice Jacobs on Dawlah; Cypriot Marios Demetriou on Dorer Muscat; Denmark’s Ina Toverud on Jihad; French jockey Nicolas Barzalona on Al Ameed; Germany’s Esther Weissmeier on Jayyash; Ireland’s Keith Moriarty on Rafid; Kersley Ramsamy of Mauritius on Jareer and Great Britain’s Katherine Glenister on Glory or Fame MHF.
The Festival, run under the patronage of HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, will stage the opening legs of the HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies World Championship (IFAHR) series and the HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Apprentice Jockeys World Championship (IFHRA) series.
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, with National Feed and Flour Production and Marketing Co. LLC as associate sponsors, The National Archives as the official partner and Emirates airline as the official carriers, in cooperation with Emirates Racing Authority, IFAHR, Emirates Arabian Horse Society, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, General Authority of Youth and Sports Welfare and sponsored by Al Aweer Stables, Ayadii LLC, Global United Veterinary Services LLC, Bloom, Petromal, Rise General Trading Co. LLC, Hayatna, Wathba Stallions, Abu Dhabi Falconers Club, Emirates Falconers Club, Mohamed Bin Zayed Falconry and Desert Physiognomy School, Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), Al Awani General Enterprises, Kabale, Omeir Travels, Dr Nader Saab Switzerland, Laboratories Fadia Karam Cosmetics, YAS Channel, Racing Post, Paris Turf, 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 2017, Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club, Eastern Mangroves Suites-Abu Dhabi by Jannah, Anantara Eastern Mangroves Spa and Resort.
Photos: Ladies and Apprentice Champions, Abu Dhabi, 13 November 2016