8 June 2019, Stockholm, Sweden ~ Al Mounteze Monlau under Elione Chaves won the Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Listed Cup while Ulrika Holmquist brought smiles to the large band of home fans at the Gardet Park in Stockholm winning the HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies World Championship on Thursday, 6 June 2019.
The two races along with HH Sheikha Lateefa Bint Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan International Pony Championship race were part of the HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival and were held on June 6 in Stockholm as Sweden marked its National Day.
Al Mounteze Monlau (Nashwan Al Khalediah x Tadri) under Elione Chaves, outperformed last year’s winner Macallan over 1500m in the prestigious Sheikh Zayed Cup. The six-year-old is trained by Camilla Nilsson in Markaryd.
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Al Mounteze Monlau got away to a perfect start and found the lead in the entrance to the curve. The leader was followed by pre-race favorite Macallan ridden by N Stott and Cleopathre under Tapia Dalbark.
The positions remained unchanged until the end of the last turn when Stott led the attack with Macallan to put pressure on the leader. For a short while it looked as if the favorite would score for the third straight year but Al Mounteze Monlau would not be concede and salvaged their victory by a head.
In the HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies IFAHR Cup, the home crowd cheered for Holmquist who led all the way on the Polish-born Eastway in the race for female jockeys from all over Europe.
The Annelie Kristina Eriksson–trained Eastway, making a first start since November 2017, took the lead quite easily leading the two stallions Toutatix ridden by Racheal Kneller and Jaldi Karo backed by Sophie Ralston. Jaldi Karo made a brave attempt to challenge the leader but Ulrika had a token saved in the reins and when she asked Eastway for the extra effort, the horse obliged to win by a short length.
If these two fine races weren’t enough the Festival had another qualifier for a final during the end of season festivities in Abu Dhabi. In the HH Sheikha Lateefa Bint Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan International Pony Championship race Stina Landh was eager to defend her title. Others wanted a crack, too, and Alva Malmström just got the better of Stina Landh in an exciting finish to become the Swedish representative in Abu Dhabi 2019.
Ms. Lara Sawaya, Executive Director of the 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 Swedish official Mats Genberg and other VIPs took part in the prize distribution.
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