Abu Dhabi: Shathra Al Hajjaj, the UAE's first lady jockey, partners top weight Siniman Maamora in today's Her Highness Shaikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Championship (IFAHR) race to be held at the Casablanca Anfa Hippodrome in Morocco.
The race is the fourth in this year's series organised by the Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Racing Festival and is being jointly organised with the Moroccan Royal Company for the Encouragement of the Horse, the governing body of horseracing in the Kingdom.
With a total purse of €20,000 (Dh100,000) for the race, the IFAHR race makes its debut in Morocco, the third Arab country after the UAE and Oman to be part of the festival. It is the richest ladies' race.
Commenting on her chances, Al Hajjaj said: "I have finished a close second and third in the first and second legs of the competition in Muscat and US and I think the time has come to go one better."
Qatari rider Khadija Al Bastaki said: "They have told me that my mount has every chance to cross the finish line ahead of the others. That's great news and hopefully I can win and clinch a spot in the final race to be held in Abu Dhabi in November."
Oman's Azhar Al Wardi, riding Raf II, is set to launch her claim from stall 12, while the only professional jockey, Nina Wagner from Germany, will fancy her chances on Kawtar Mus.
Huge prize money
Meanwhile, the International Day of Purebred Arabian Horse features six races highlighted with the Grand Prix De Sa Ma Jeste Le Roi Mohammed VI (Group 3), the King's Cup, which carries a total purse of 1.2 million Moroccan Dirhams.
Lara Sawaya, Director of the Shaikh Mansour Festival, said: "This is a great honour for us to stage the first-ever ladies' race here on a day when two of the best Purebred Arabian races will also be run.
"The Casablanca-Anfa Racecourse was built in 1912 and is the oldest racecourse in Morocco. It is a huge privilege for us to be starting our first edition on this historic racecourse and so far the response has been tremendous."
Runners
HH Shaikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Championship (IFAHR). 2,000m (a 10f). Purse: €20,000:
1. Siniman Maamora (Shathra Hajjaj), 2. Naouar Boussafi (Duygu Fatura), 3. Imsouan (Camille Peltier, 4. Ould Marhoum (Linzi Dowdall, 5. Chaoui (Madine Gratz), 6. Amadou (Eli Boren), 7. Raf II (Azhar Alwardi), 8. Fleur De Sable (Jessica Marcialli), 9. Karam Bouzinka (Souad Tarraf), 10. Kawtar Mus (Nina Wagner), 11. Fakr (Sandee Beattie), 12. Soufia (Khadija Albastaki), 13. Ghait Al Boraq (Nicola Dumelow).
