HH Sheikh Mansoor Festival adds exciting HH Sheikha Lateefa ponies race
7 June 2017, Stockholm, Sweden ~ Macallan, one of the equine stars of Sweden, showed his class with a fantastic win in front of a record crowd converged at Gardet National Park for Sweden’s National Day.
Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Cup
For several years the HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival’s races have added to the excitement of the Swedish National Day race meeting. On this 6 June, National Day, a record crowd of nearly 55,000 packed the City Park of Gardet near central Stockholm to enjoy the festivities.
Macallan, a 6-year-old grey son of Dahess out of the top Swedish mare Queen Anne (Riyal) had finished fourth to Toutatix in in the 2016 Swedish Day Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Cup. Toutatix and Mad Makz (third in last year’s race) were also part of the line-up in Monday’s €35,000 race contested over a distance of 1500 metres.
One of the top purebred Arabians in Sweden over the shorter distances, Macallan under Anna Pilroth, went for a big finish in the process denying owner-trainer Maria Hagman-Eriksson a second consecutive success in the Swedish National Day meeting. Macallan and Pilroth have had further success in the Festival when they won the Wathba Stud Farm Cup (Group 3). Piroth’s father, Bodil Blomqvist, is both the trainer as well as a co-owner.
Hagman-Eriksson’s Toutatix, 2016 winner, finished fourth but the Swedish trainer’s other runner Jaldi Karo under Dayverson de Barros fought bravely before losing out to Macallan. A close third was Athlete Del Sol under Carlos Lopez. The winner completed the 1500-metre distance in 1:42.1, an 8th career win for Macallan.
HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies World Championship
Germany’s Stefanie Hofer rode Hurra home to win the Euros 30,000 HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies World Championship race over a distance of 2750 metres.
The 7-year-old mare had last won the 2014 HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Apprentice World Championship race in Duindigt, The Netherlands, and the Festival’s Wathba Stud Farm Cup in the same year.
Monday’s race attracted seven lady jockeys, all of them professionals. Germany’s 30-years-old Hofer had the most experience – 413 wins from 3792 starts – and this race marked a high point for her as she steered Hurra to her first win in more than two years. What A Wonder under Denmark’s Sara Slot finished second while Japanese pro Nanako Fujita followed in third place.
The UAE Ambassador to the Kingdom of Sweden HE Sultan Al Kitoub, Dennis Madsen, Head of Racing at the Swedish Horseracing Authority and Ms. Lara Sawaya, Executive Director of the HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival, Chairperson of Int’l Federation of Horse Racing Academies (IFHRA) and Chairperson of Ladies & Apprentice Racing Committees in the International Federation of Arabian Horse Racing Authorities (IFAHR) gave away the trophies.
Commenting on the record crowd, Madsen said “55,000 people is a new attendance record. It’s a unique event and it is great to see so many people come to enjoy the races. It is so easily accessible, and I think that is a big part of the success.”
HH Sheikha Lateefa Bint Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Ponies Cup
Ms. Lara Sawaya said: “The Festival will hold a new race – HH Sheikha Lateefa Bint Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Ponies Cup – to encourage young riders in the age group of 8 yrs to 12 yrs and this race will be part of the ‘One World, Six Continents- Abu Dhabi the Capital of the World’ race meeting on 10 November 2017. We will have eight young jockeys drawn from all parts of the world, representing the six continents, in the race. This race will be an annual affair.”
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, with National Feed and Flour Production and Marketing Co. LLC as associate sponsors, The National Archives as the official partner and Emirates airline as the official carriers, in cooperation with Emirates Racing Authority, IFAHR, Emirates Arabian Horse Society, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, General Authority of Youth and Sports Welfare and sponsored by Al Aweer Stables, Ayadi LLC, Global United Veterinary Services LLC, Wathba Stallions, Abu Dhabi Falconers Club, Emirates Falconers Club, Mohamed Bin Zayed Falconry and Desert Physiognomy School, Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), Al Awani General Enterprises, Kabale, Omeir Travels, Laboratories Fadia Karam Cosmetics, YAS Channel, Racing Post, Paris Turf, Al Wathba Centre, the UAE’s General Women’s Union, The Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, the HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Sports Academy, Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition 2017, Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club, Eastern Mangroves Suites-Abu Dhabi by Jannah, Anantara Eastern Mangroves Spa and Resort.
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