15 May 2015, Lexington, Kentucky, USA ~The HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival kick-starts the HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Apprentice World Championship 2015 series with the first race on Sunday, 17 May, at the Kentucky Race Park in Lexington, Kentucky.

After a successful launch in 2014 when the HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Apprentice World Championship had four races before the final in November in Abu Dhabi. This year it is a nine-race series with the grand finale in Abu Dhabi on 8 November  2015.

Ten excited Apprentice race jockeys from all over the world have arrived in this horse racing centre and the winner of Sunday’s 2000-metre race will book a berth for the November finale.

Australia’s Ben Thomas, Belgium’s Jente Marien, French Apprentice Flavien Garrier, Germany’s Luisa Steudle, UK’s Jack Gilligan, Ireland’s Julie Burke, Oman’s Saidal Yahyaee, Portugal’s Manuel Fernandes, Puerto Rico’s Jan Carlos Batista and American Lauralea Glaser line up in the prize money $25,000 race.

Apprentice Jockeys:

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The ten jockeys will be paired with one of the following ten horses by draw of lots: Golly Zands, Zells Bells, Es Mi Cielo, CR Ardiente, Twice Rich, Ta My Virguelle, Onyewu, Fast And Furious, Micahh and Rich Queenie.

While Ireland’s Julie Burke with 86 wins from over 1200 races is the most experienced, it is Puerto Rico’s Jan Carlos Batista who is yet to score after three starts.

The 18-year-old Australian Ben Thompson said, “I’m looking forward to showcasing my talent and hopefully I can come out with my head up and take a lot from it.”

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.

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