Hereford Racecourse and Sandown Park benefit from increased patronage
3 August 2016, UK ~ August is a very exciting month for the HH Sheikh Mansoor bin Zayed Al Nahyan Festival in the UK, with two full race days at Hereford Racecourse, featuring 11 Wathba Stallions and Wathba Stud Farm Cup races for UK domestic horses. However, the highlight of the Festival races in August will be the two Emirates Days at Sandown Park on 19 and 20. The HH Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Ladies World Championship (IFAHR) and the HH Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Cup (Group1 PA) are part of two days of Thoroughbred racing supported by the HH Sheikh Mansoor bin Zayed Al Nahyan Festival.
The Arabian Racing Organization (ARO) welcomed the news that the HH Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Cup to be run on 20 August, is to increase its’ prize fund by £10,000 to £80,000. The Group 1 race for Purebred Arabians will be run over a mile (1600m) at the prestigious Grade One track.
Following the first entry stage there is an exciting list of 24 entries, with more than half rated over 100, it promises to be a top quality contest. There could be more to come, as the supplementary stage closes on 10 August. The entries so far include Kalino, the winner of the 2015 Jewel Crown.With a prize fund of €1.2 million Euros, the Jewel Crown is the world’s richest Arabian horse race and is also sponsored by the HH Sheikh Mansoor bin Zayed Al Nahyan Festival.
The family oriented two-day Sandown Park fixture opens on Friday, 19 August with the UK stage of the HH Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Ladies World Championship (IFAHR) Series, also run over a mile (1600m). This innovative contest travels the globe and allows both amateur and professional lady jockeys to compete against each other on Purebred Arabians.
Genny Haynes, ARO Director, commented. “ARO is delighted to receive such a generous increase to the prize fund of the HH Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Cup at Sandown Park. This is the first time we have staged both these HH Sheikh Mansoor bin Zayed Al Nahyan Festival races at Sandown Park, following a successful visit with the HH Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Apprentice World Championship (IFAHR) race last year. The race will be the pinnacle of an incredible month of Sheikh Mansoor bin Zayed Al Nahyan Festival races in the UK.”
She continued. “Thanks to the continued and generous support of the HH Sheikh Mansoor bin Zayed Al Nahyan Festival and its’ Executive Director, Lara Sawaya, Arabian racing in the UK continues to flourish. In addition to the forthcoming events at Sandown Park, the HH Sheikh Mansoor bin Zayed Al Nahyan Festival has sponsored four full fixtures at Hereford, two of which are in August. This brings their overall direct sponsorship of UK Arabian racing to over £200,000 this season, an increase on previous years, which provides vital support to the grass-roots of the sport.”
Concluding she said. “It is also thanks to the HH Sheikh Mansoor bin Zayed Al Nahyan Festival that we now have full colour racecards and results coverage in the Racing Post, in both their print and online editions. Also instigated is a worldwide database for Arabian racing, to be in place by the end of the year, which further extends the reach of the sport both in the UK and around the world.”
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, IPIC as Strategic Partner, 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 2016, Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club, Eastern Mangroves Suites-Abu Dhabi by Jannah, Anantara Eastern Mangroves Spa and Resort.
~end supplied report