French jockey Isis Magnin wins HH Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Apprentice Race
12 October 2015, Tarbes, France ~ French Apprentice lady jockey Isis Magnin on the 4-year-old Awn Al Aidarous-owned Burj Al Arab won the Prix Fleur d’Avril HH Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Apprentice World Championship race in Tarbes on Sunday, 11 October, to become the eighth jockey to qualify for the championship finale on 8 November in Abu Dhabi.
It was after an inquiry that Magnin was placed first. Burj Al Arab had finished second by a neck to Paxan ridden by Niven Marday from Mauritius, but Magnin lodged an objection on the grounds of interference by the latter on the home straight.
After an inquiry by the Stewards, Magnin’s appeal was upheld and Burj Al Arab was promoted to the winner’s position while Paxan under the Mauritian was relegated to second place. Sixteen-year-old Moroccan Omar Lakjal on Cristal De Ghazal and Georgia Cox on Forgehill Cartier finished third and fourth respectively. The winning time for the 1500-metre turf contest was 1:29.70.
Though only Magnin qualifies for the HH Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Apprentice World Championship final race in Abu Dhabi, 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) and Chairperson of Ladies & Apprentice Racing Committees in the International Federation of Arabian Horse Racing Authorities (IFAHR) invited Niven Marday to be part of the final line-up.
“We will have nine winners from the nine rounds of the HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Apprentice World Championship held all over the globe. We will fill the remaining three slots and one of them will go to Marday who at a young age has revealed immense skills. It was unfortunate he lost out today but that is all a part of sport,” she said.
After winning the 8-horse race worth €20,000 Magnin said, “I lost some precious moments when my horse was obstructed just as we had turned for home. I am happy that my appeal was upheld and now I am so delighted to be going to Abu Dhabi for the final.”
Two Additional Races For Abu Dhabi Championship
The HH Sheikh Mansoor bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival will add two additional races to the four already on the card for 8 November in Abu Dhabi, according to Ms Lara Sawaya. “The two races will be in honor of the UAE troops who sacrificed their lives in Yemen, one the UAE Martyrs Trophy for Thoroughbreds for Dh 80.000 and the other UAE Martyrs Cup for Purebred Arabians for Dh 90.000,” she said.
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, Bloom, Petromal, Rise General Trading Co. LLC, Hayatna, 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, 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 Laboratories Fadia Karam Cosmetics.
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