Paddys Day on course for Triple Jewel
6 July 2015, California ~ Paddys Day kept himself in contention for the HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival’s newly-introduced Triple Jewel bonus of US$150,000 with a superb win in the second leg in Pleasanton, California, on Sunday, 5 July.
Ridden by Kelsi Purcell, Paddys Day (Burning Sand x AK Loretta) won the 6-furlong Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Emerald Arabian Triple Jewel (Grade 3) race to collect 8 points. This win added to his second place finish in Houston on 7 March gives him the lead with 15 points. Burning Fleet, winner of the first leg did not take part here while Our Princess under Kirsten Swan picked up 6 points for a third place finish here behind Sand Victor (Pedros Flores up). Our Princess also has five points from the Houston race. The battle will be in the final leg to be held in Los Alamitos on 19 September.
The Scott Powell yard registered a grand double after Paddys Day‘s strong win in front of a large crowd when Sand On Fire (Burning Sand x BJ Zell) under US jockey Sandee Martin made the most of the late scratch of favorite Ms Dixie to win the HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies World Championship race. Breeder of both winners, Jane Teutsch, was on hand to congratulate the trainer and jockeys.
Sandee Martin at 47 still showed a lot of fire as she urged Sand On Fire to come up with a late run to win the ladies race. “I am really looking forward to Abu Dhabi. I qualified last year and I always race to win, so I am hoping for a good horse in the final,” the American said after celebrating her win a day after the USA 4 July National Day.
Ms Dixie reared in the starter’s box and subsequently was scratched by the vets and after that Martin came up with a searing run from the outside to score from One Hot Chick under Michala Kucharikova while My Vaz Is Hot under Celina Weber came third. Martin, who won a similar HH Sheikha Fatima Ladies race in Houston last year, will now join the Championship round with other winners of the Ladies’ series in the final on 8 November in Abu Dhabi.
HE Abdulla Al Suboosi, UAE Consul General in Los Angeles along with Ms Lara Sawaya, Executive Director of the HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival, Chairman of the International Federation of Horse Racing Academies (IFHRA), Chairman of Ladies & Apprentice Racing Committees in the International Federation of Arabian Horse Racing Authorities (IFAHR) and representatives of the US Arabian racing bodies attended the prize distribution ceremony.
“We are as usual proud that the UAE is staging these important Arabian horse races to coincide with the American July 4 holidays and the crowd today was a great testimony to the popularity of Arabian horses here in the US. Such events further strengthen the UAE-US ties,” HE Al Suboosi said.
“Today we have seen two lady jockeys win the two premier races of the Festival and that is great news. We are also very happy with the way the Triple Jewel for the Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Cup is panning out. The final leg in Los Alamitos now promises to be an exciting finale to this series,” said Ms Sawaya.
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, 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 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 Laboratoires Fadia Karam Cosmetics.
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