Muraaquib comes in
11 November 2017, Abu Dhabi, UAE ~ The 10 November 2017 finale of the HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival turned out to be an action-packed race meeting with high drama at the Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club racecourse.
RB Burn crossed the finish line in the Championship race but it took a full 40 minutes to declare a winner after a Stewards verdict ruled in favour of second-placed Muraaqib.
The Eric Lemartinel–trained RB Burn under Gerald Avranche and the Francois Rohaut-trained Muraaqib under Jim Crowley battled stride for stride before the former finished first in the €1.2 million Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Jewel Crown (Group 1) race.
Prize Giving Triple Jewel race
Crowley lodged a protest on arrival and a lengthy inquiry followed as the Stewards heard from Crowley and Avranche while the packed venue waited for the winner.
The Stewards’ decision to reverse the top two finish meant Muraaqib, the son of Munjiz, won on his UAE debut to extend an impressive record of six Group 1 wins in his career success of 9 wins in 11 starts!
An elated Crowley said, “I was very confident going into the inquiry. I was taken off my line from the furlong mark and I received two bumps. There was no doubt it cost me the race.”
Sheikh Nahayan greeting young riders
Earlier HH Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, the Minister of Culture, Youth, and Social Development welcomed the nearly 800 plus guests invited by the Festival from 88 countries and the large gathering of racing fans to the finale which brought the curtain down on the 2017 racing calendar of the HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival.
HH Sheikh Nahyan said, “We thank His Highness Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE and Minister of Presidential Affairs and Her Highness Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women’s Union, Supreme President of the Family Development Foundation (FDF) and Head of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood with whose direction this demanding event has become a wonderful tribute to the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan.”
Ms. Sawaya congratulated HH Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance on the success of Muraaqib. She also hailed the success of the race meeting and particularly that of the first ever pony international race.
The Festival’s Sheikha Lateefa Bint Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan International Pony race was the final fixture of the meeting and it was young Mia Ann Nicholls wearing the red, white and blue silks who made Britain proud with a superb win.
Mia Nicholls
Mia Ann Nicholls, the daughter of trainer Adrian Nicholl on Silver Patch finished ahead of the UAE’s Mohammad Ahmed Al Ketbi while in third place was Ireland’s Cian Shaun Murphy.
HH Sheikha Lateefa Bint Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan gave away the trophies to the winners of this first-ever international pony race which will from next year be run as a ten-race series stopping all over the globe.
The 1600m HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies World Championship Final produced a close finish. Belgian jockey, Alice Bertiaux, a teacher by profession, landed the spoils with RB Inferno in a perfectly timed challenge down the backstretch to lead inside the final 200m. They were never caught, running on strongly to win for Lemartinel and Al Asayl.
“I am very grateful to HH Sheikh Mansoor, HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak and everyone involved in the festival,” said a delighted Bertiaux. “And of course to Monsieur Lemartinel who told me how to ride the horse. RB Inferno was in great condition to win today.”
The field included French lady jockey Ingrid Grard on Da’Areen and Italian Giulia Coccia on Sanad to finish second and third in the Ladies championship race.
Also carrying Prestige status, the 1600m HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Apprentice Jockey Championship provided the easiest winner on the card when Denmark’s Ina Toverud stormed home on AF Yatroq representing UAE Champion Owner, Khalid Khalifa Al Nabooda and completing a double for Oertel.
Oertel said, “She rode that race very well and kept the horse going all the way to the line.”
Second and third were Russian Andrei Ivanov on Hamares and Algeria’s Abderrahmene Boulesbaa on AF Maher.
In the Festival’s Wathba Stallions Cup race for Private Owners, Antonio Fresu produced a brilliant ride aboard Ibn Harmany Al Zobair to land a first winner for the Emirates Bred Syndicate.
The day’s opening race-the UAE Martyrs Trophy was won by the Helal Al Alawi-trained Shah Jahan De Rodaim under Pat Cosgrave.
The UAE Martyrs Cup, a 1600m conditions race and the only Thoroughbred contest on the card, was won by the Doug Watson-trained Shamaal Nibras under Pat Dobbs.