Abu Dhabi
The UAE’s champion jockey Tadhg O’Shea completed a treble at the Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club on Sunday night, including a win in the HH Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival’s Wathba Stud Farm Cup for private owners only.
O’Shea steered Girl Powerr to the lead in the final strides of the 1000m Purebred Arabians handicap and win the HH Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival’s Wathba Stud Farm Cup For Private Owners Only, the fifth race on the card in the UAE capital.
Owned and trained by Saeed Hadher Al Mazrouei, the six-year-old mare of Calin Du Loop cruised to her third win of the season and first victory in the Festival.
“It was only close home I thought we would get there,” admitted O’Shea after the brilliant mare survived an attack by AF Shbas under Royston Ffrench and the mount of Silvestre De Sousa, Dere’A Al Jazeera in the final 50 yards. “It has been a great evening,” said O’Shea later.
Earlier O’Shea and Al Asayl trainer Salem Al Ketbi enjoyed an Abu Dhabi double highlighted by the victory of Molahen El Ahlan in the featured 1600m handicap.
Al Ketbi and O’Shea had wasted little time getting off the mark for the evening with Nashmee who showed distinct signs of inexperience when landing the opening 2200m conditions race.
Adnan Sultan Al Nuaimi, Director General of the Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club and Ms Lara Sawaya, Executive Director of the HH Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival, Chairman of the Int’l Federation of Horse Racing Academies (IFHRA), Chairman of Ladies & Apprentice Racing Committee in the Int’l Federation of Arabian Horse Racing Authorities (IFAHR), presented the prizes and trophies to the connections of the winning horse.
“The Wathba Stud Farm Cup For Private Owners race series in Abu Dhabi is getting very popular and provides some exciting contests. The HH Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival’s focus on Purebred Arabian races at the grass-roots level is realized with this series,” said Ms Sawaya.
