30 May 2015, Warsaw, Poland ~ The meeting on Sunday, 31 May, meeting at the Sluzewiec racecourse in Warsaw, Poland, will be a special one as the HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival’s three races will be part of the 9-race meeting.
The Arabian Racing Festival meeting also includes the Festival’s Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Cup (Grade A), the HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies World Championship (IFAHR) and the HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Apprentice World Championship races.
“While the lady jockeys and Apprentice jockeys represent countries from around the globe as they vie to book a berth in the November 8 finals in Abu Dhabi of the respective series, Sunday’s meeting also gives an opportunity for the Polish Jockey Club to showcase their history of Arabian horses with the cream of the Purebred Arabian racing world who are here for the World Arabian Horse Conference in attendance,” said 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
Leading the pack in the Grade A Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Cup to be run over 2400 metres is the veteran and European Triple Crown champion Ameretto. The 9 year-old Amer son will be partnered by Manuel Manueddu as he bids for another win in the HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival‘s premier race series.
With eight of his rivals in the 10-horse field aged five years and below, Ameretto will face a challenge from the younger lot with the main danger likely to come from Westin, Ziko and Wameria.
Westin, a 5-year-old grey son of Nougatin, is unbeaten in six starts while Ziko is the 2014 Polish Derby winner. Ussam de Carrere, third in the Scandinavian Arabian Derby in Sweden in 2014 brings in a lot of experience as a 7-year-old. An exciting contest is on the cards for this Grade A race which carried a prize fund of Euros 35,000.
The HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies World Championship (IFAHR) race will be run over 1800 metres and the following 10 horses and jockeys are in the field : ES Fahan (Patrycja Klos-Poland), Margaret (Camille Peltier-France), Kasir Al Khalediah (Tjarda Humphreji-The Netherlands), Wielka Dajana (Alexandria Bihari-Hungary), Amadeusz BS (Jessica Marcialis-Italy), Zahim (Aileen O’Sullivan-Ireland), Wasilew (Bouchra Marmoul-Morocco), Fuksuss (Michala Kucharikova-Slovenia), Pirat (Sarah Shaffer-USA) and Sangus (Lorna Brooke-UK).
Wasilew and Pirat are both front-runners and could be the ones to beat though Kasir Al Khalediah’s late burst and Zahim could pose a big challenge.
Nicolas, last year’s winner in the Sheikha Fatima Ladies Championship race under Indian lady jockey Rupa Singh, is back to strike again but this time in the Euros 20,000 HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Apprentice World Championship (IFAHR) race to be run over 2000 metres.
With local star Konrad Mazur drawn to ride the 5-year-old gelding, the chances of the favourite look bright though some of the other good horses in the field include the 11-year-old Dar Duni under Oman’s Shakir Al Balushi, Perfektor under Belgium Apprentice Zoe Vande Velde and Wilden under Canada’s Corrine Andros.
The following are the other horses and jockeys in the HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Apprentice World Championship: Dirhem (Luke Leadbitter-UK), Benefis (Omar Lakjal-Morocco), Karla Al Khalediah (Burak Averbak-Turkey), Al-Dar (Jake Bayliss-Australia), Hiszpan (Joddie Prasser-Germany), and Sarah Al Khalediah (Eoin Walsh-Ireland).
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, 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 and Racing Post.
~ ends