31 March,2015, Chengdu, China ~ Erwan Charpy, trainer Manark, the winner of the 2015 US$1m Dubai Kahayla Classic on Dubai World Cup day, met members of the Chinese media at Jinma Lake Racecourse today (Tuesday, 31 March).
Six UAE-based trainers will saddle runners at Friday’s Chengdu Dubai International Cup, now in its second year.
Charpy, who trains at Dubai Racing Club’s Green Stables and Bhupat Seemar, assistant trainer to Satish Seemar of Zabeel Stables spoke to more than 50 assembled broadcast and print media members.
2015 UAE Champion Trainer Musabah Al Muhiairi, Red Stables trainer, Doug Watson, Millennium Stables’ handler Ismael Mohammed and Ali Rashid Al Raihe of Grandstand Stables will also saddle horses at Jinma Lake Racecourse this year.
Horses from Charpy’s yard are in a rich vein of form after the Frenchman’s Purebred Arabian, Versac PY claimed the Group 1 final round of the Al Maktoum Challenge series on Super Saturday before Manark romped to a facile victory in the Purebred Arabian showpiece on Dubai World Cup day.
Charpy is looking for a second China winner, having saddled Citizen’s Charter to victory in the 2014 Guangsha Handicap over 1400m.
The jockeys and trainers contesting the raceday, including UAE Champion Trainer Musabah Al Muhairi and UAE Champion Jockey Richard Mullen will attend a media luncheon tomorrow (Wednesday) at the Chengdu Intercontinental Hotel (Wednesday).
The 2014 Dubai World Cup winner, Silvestre de Sousa from Brazil, UAE rider Ahmed Ajtebi, Ireland’s Pat Dobbs, Tadhg O’Shea and Wayne Smith, Adrie de Vries from the Netherlands, Argentine Jesus Rosales, English jockeys Royston Ffrench and Sam Hitchott, Xavier Ziani from France and will also contest the raceday.
The race meeting is organised by the Meydan Group, under the Emirates Racing Authority rules of racing (a signatory to the International Federation of Horseracing Authority), in partnership with the Chengdu Municipal Government, the Chengdu Sports Bureau, the Wenjiang District Government and China Guangsha Group.
Five races worth a combined total of RMB3.75m (US$604,536) will be contested on Friday including the featured 2218m RMB1.5m Chengdu International Cup presented by Longines. Also on the card is the Wenjiang Meydan Classic over 1600m, The Meydan Handicap over 2418m, the Guangsha Mile and the 1400m Wenjiang Sprint. The first race goes to post at 1.30pm (9.30am UAE).
Chengdu is situated in the South West of China and is the capital of Sichuan province. It is a city of historical and cultural significance and acts as a centre for politics, culture, science, education, commerce, finance and international trade. An accessible transportation and communications hub, Chengdu also possesses the largest airport in the region. It is one of the largest cities on mainland China.
Photo: Erwan Charpy (left) and Bhupat Seemar in the parade ring at the Jinma Lake Racecourse, Chengdu after meeting members of the media.