July 20, 2013, Sacramento ~ Wathba Stud Farm Cup Arabian Three Years + The $11,300 purse included $5,000 from Wathba Stud Farms and is supported by CALFAIRS and Arabian Racing of California (ARAC).
The July 20, Arabian Allowance was won by Kentucky Bay ridden to victory by jockey, Marcia Stortz paid $11.20 to win. The 2007 bay mare, trained by Terri Eaton for owner John Gish, grabbed the rail on the backstretch responding to her jockey’s push and not letting the favorite, Limitless, driven hard by Barrington Harvey, have any reason to hope. Hitdamark under Juan Avila came in third.
Kentucky Bay (The Kentuckian x Selma Croixnoire) finished her third start this year with this win of 6 Furlongs in 1:20:50. This is the second Wathba Cup win for the mare as she won the 2012 Wathba Stud Farm Cup at Ferndale, California.
Marica Stortz said it was the fifth Arabian she’s ridden: “She ran fantastic. I thank the owner and trainer for putting me on this horse.” Stortz has 591 career starts with a record of 57 firsts, 64 seconds, and 73 thirds.
Owner John Gish said, “She was a good contender in the race. Marcia rode her before and she knew her little quirks and knew how to get her to the finish line. She did a wonderful job today.”
Jeanne Wasserman thanked the HH Sh Mansoor bin Zayed Global Arabian Flat Racing Festival for their support and congratulated the winner before introducing the California State Fair Chief Executive Officer, Rick Pickering.
Rick Pickering last welcomed the HH Sheikh Mansoor Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival to the 2012 Alameda State Fair when he was Chief Executive Officer at Pleasanton. He was positive about the continued relationship with the California State Fair at the Capitol. “We are looking forward to a prosperous future together showcasing Arabian racing,” he said. “We hope to continue to grow that new relationship both with Arabian racing and with the Wathba Stud Farm Cup. A number of people are doing the right thing with horse racing in California and one of those groups are those associated with Arabian racing.”
The HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival is organized by the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority and co-ordinated by Abu Dhabi Sports Council in association with Emirates Racing Authority, IFAHR and Emirates Arabian Horse Society, supported by General Authority for Youth and Sports Welfare and Fegentri with Emirates airlines as the official carrier and sponsored by Tourism Development& Investment Company (TDIC), Invest AD Arabtec Holding PJSC, Al Rashid Investment, Areej Al Ameerat, 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 2013, Dr. Nader Saab Switzerland, Wathba Stud Farm, Al Wathba Center, Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club, Eastern Mangroves Hotel and SPA and Eastern Mangroves Suites-Abu Dhabi by Jannah.
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