From 2017 the White Turf Challenge will be one of the three legs of the Sheikh Zayed European Triple Crown races
21 February 2016, St. Moritz, Switzerland ~ In breaking news today, the HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival has opted to make the snow race track of the White Turf series on the frozen lake at St Moritz, Switzerland, one of the venues of the European Triple Crown in the Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Cup three-race competition series.
Addressing a press conference at the Kempinski Hotel in St Moritz, Switzerland, ahead of the 21 February race of HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies World Championship (IFAHR), Ms Lara Sawaya, Executive Director of the HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival, Chairperson of the International Federation of Horse Racing Academies (IFHRA) and Chairperson of Ladies & Apprentice Racing Committees in the International Federation of Arabian Horse Racing Authorities (IFAHR), made the announcement in the presence of HE Sulieman Al Mazrouei, UAE ambassador to Belgium, and HE Saqr Al Raisi, UAE ambassador to Italy, trainer Karin van den Bos, Swiss Arabian racing chief Urs Aeschbacher, Elizabeth Zindel representing the race organizers and White Turf Vice President Luigi Sala.
Three races in the Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Series comprise the European Triple Crown and the horse that garners the maximum points in these three races earns the tag of European Triple Crown winner plus a bonus of €50,000. Ameretto has won this race for the last four years in a row. In 2015 the three Triple Crown races were held in France, The Netherlands, and Poland. The 2016 Triple Crown races are in Toulouse, France; Rome, Italy; and Duindigt, The Netherlands.
Sawaya also announced a third race for the White Turf day: “Further in addition to the two races that we hold here – the Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Cup and the HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies World Championship (IFAHR) – from next year we will add a third race – the HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Apprentice World Championship race,” Ms Sawaya said.
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