Bertiaux wins HH Sheikha Fatima Ladies race and Khataab triumphs in Sheikh Zayed Cup

Khataab winning Zayed Cup

21 April 2017, Toulouse, France ~ The two races were held as part of the HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival, on Friday, 21 April, in Toulouse, France.

Nine started in the €35,000 Sheikh Zayed Cup run over 2000m, the first of the Festival’s premier series in Europe.

Jerome Crabbe on the 5-year-old Khataab (Amer), trained by Thomas Fourcy, did well to stave off the challenge of Peter Sogorb’s Mehdaaf Athbah under Jean-Bernard Eyquem while Meblsh under Julien Auge finished third to make it a 1-3 for Fourcy.

Khataab completed the 2000-metre race in 2:13.72 finishing two lengths ahead of Mehdaaf Athbah in this Group 2 contest.

HH Sheikha Fatima Ladies Championship

Sha’hir, the 6-year-old Amer son, had already won the Festival’s Wathba Stud Farm Cup race earlier this year, and struck once again but this time under Alice Bertiaux.

Bertiaux on Sha’hir wins HH Sheikha Fatima Cup

Bertiaux, a physical education teacher from Belgium riding her 151st race, did not let down handler Francois Rohaut as she steered Sha’hir to a narrow win over Al Shaqab’s Khozan ridden by Sweden’s Charlotta Ericsson.

Dutch rider Leonie Vethaak on Chalwa du Breuil and French jockey Marie Lemartinel on Burj Al Arab finished third and fourth respectively in the 11-horse race over 1600m. The winning time registered by Sha’hir was 1:47.27 in the €30,000 race.

The 34-year-old Belgian said she was highly pleased and elated with her victory. “This is my 16th win and I am looking forward to the final race. Today’s race was very impressive and certainly the competition was fierce. The trainer’s instructions helped me to control the horse and unleash it in time, and I am very happy with this win which will be a good addition to my career record as a race jockey,” she said.

Lady jockies

Michel Garbel, Director of Finance and Administration at the Toulouse Track, and Nicole Kraft, Director of the French Arabian Racehorse Association, 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)and other French officials attended the prize-giving ceremony.

Commenting on the Friday’s races, Ms. Sawaya said, “Toulouse has always been a great venue for Purebred Arabian racing and once again we witnessed some top quality contests today.”

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 with and sponsored by Ayadi LLC, Global United Veterinary Services LLC, 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.

~ end supplied report