HH Sheikh Mansoor Festival Sponsors FEI Young Horses Endurance Championship races
24 September 2015, Italy ~ The FEI World Championship for Young Horses sponsored by the HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festiva kicks off the Italian Endurance Festival 2015 at the Valeggio Sul Mincio in Verona, Italy, on Saturday, 26 September 2015. Immediately following on 27 September is the HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Endurance CEIO and the HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival Cup.
All three rides are part of the Italian Endurance Festival 2015 where a press conference was held with HE Saqr Nasser Ahmed Al Raisi, the UAE Ambassador to Italy; Sulaiman Al Mazroui, the UAE Ambassador to Belgium; Dr Abdul Rahim Al Awadhi from the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Aref Alawani, General Secretary of Abu Dhabi Sports Council; Dr. Abdulla Elreyes, Director-General of the UAE National Archives and Ministry of Presidential Affairs. Italian officials Diego Albiero, President of the event and Ettore Riello, Director of Verona International Fair, along with 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 attended among others.
“We convey our greetings to the Rulers of the UAE and leaders and people of the UAE on the occasion of Eid Festival,” said HE Saqr Nasser Ahmed Al Raisi.
“We are delighted to be back here in Verona and Italy will be in the limelight next year as Rome will be hosting the World Arabian Horse Racing Conference in 2016,” said Ms Lara Sawaya. “Last year the UAE girls did very well to win the individual Gold and Bronze medals and the Team Gold and we hope they once again compete well against the strong international teams.”
Ms Sayawa confirmed that the raffle draws and the top five finishers in the World Championship for Young Horses will be invited to visit the One World, 6 Continents Festival finale in Abu Dhabi, UAE, from 3-8 in Abu Dhabi.
Ettore Riello welcomed the group and said, “The Verona Festival has been going on for the past 117 years and with the support of the HH Sheikh Mansoor Festival we are now getting bigger. This is a scenic and historically important part of Italy and we are expecting large crowds for the event.”
Over 200 riders are expected to take part in the three rides over 26 and 27 September. In Saturday’s event, 81 pairs representing 12 nations will compete in the FEI World Championship for Young Horses which will be run over 120-km in four stages.
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 in cooperation with Emirates Racing Authority, IFAHR, Emirates Arabian Horse Society, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, General Authority of Youth and Sports Welfare with The National Archives as the official partner and Emirates airline as the official carriers and sponsored by Invest AD, National Feed and Flour Production and Marketing Co. LLC, Bloom, Petromal, Rise General Trading Co. LLC, Hayatna, Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC), Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), Al Awani General Enterprises, Kabale, 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 2015, Dr. Nader Saab Switzerland, Al Wathba Center, Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club, Eastern Mangroves Suites-Abu Dhabi by Jannah, Yas Channel, Omeir Travels, Racing Post and Laboratories Fadia Karam Cosmetics.
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