Zells Kate
The Grand Prix Mahabb (Group 3) was one of the three races held under the umbrella of the HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival and part of the Wathba Stallions Cup Festival.
The first three races on the card comprised of the Wathba Stallion Cup Festival and was worth R$ 100.000,00 (One Hundred Thousand Reals) in prize money and open to Purebred Arabian horses.
Alves, who has also won a leg of the HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies World Championship race in the past, did very well to steer the Almir Jose Ribeiro-owned Zells Kate to a superb win in a new record time of 1 minute 36.17 seconds for the 1400-metre (7 furlongs) distance. The winning mare is trained Alexandre Garcia Saldanha Correa.
Earlier the meeting opened with the Special Prize Quazar – Wathba Stallion Cup over 1000 metres the Thiago Haidar-trained Fada HVP was steered home to victory by Apprentice jockey Andre R Oliveira for owner André Lahoz Mendonça de Barros.
In the feature event of the Wathba Stallions Festival, eight top horses contested the Grade 3 GP Munjiz – Wathba Stallion Cup.
Rhondo Rach, trained by Lucas Quintana, stormed home under jockey Ricardo Saliba to win the 1400-metre turf contest carrying a prize fund of R$ 45.000,00 (Forty-Five Thousand Reals).
Almir Jose Ribeiro was delighted with Zells Kate’s record run under Alves and said, “It is a great day for Arabian racing here in Brazil. We thank the HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival for their support and helping in the progress of Arabian racing.”
The races are part of the HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival which 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 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.
~ report by Satya