Abu Dhabi: Five cars including a Bentley and a total prize fund of Dh1.25m will be up for grabs in three endurance rides to be held over the next three days starting Friday at the Emirates International Endurance Village in Al Wathba.
The 100km Shaikh Mohammad Bin Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Endurance Cup for Private Owned Horses will be run on Friday, the 120km Shaikh Rashid Bin Hamdan Al Maktoum Challenge Festival ride takes place on Saturday and the 120km Giants Endurance Challenge goes on Sunday.
“An amount of Dh350,000 will be distributed to all riders who finish the Shaikh Mohammad Bin Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Endurance Cup race, while the winner will get a Nissan car. Saturday’s winner in the 120km Shaikh Rashid ride will get a car, while all those who finish will get a share of the Dh400,000,” said Adnan Sultan Saif Al Nuaimi, Director-General of Abu Dhabi Equestrian Federation, at a press conference held at the Eastern Mangroves Hotel on Thursday.
“The Giants Endurance Challenge is the most prestigious of the three rides and a Bentley along with two other cars will be given to the top three, while the total prize money for those who finish is Dh500,000.”
Lara Sawaya, Director of the Shaikh Mansour Festival and Head of Ladies Racing at IFAHR, said: “On Friday the venue for the Shaikh Mohammad Bin Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Endurance Cup for Private Owned Horses will be named ‘Mohammad Football Wathbaland’.
“While the horses and riders will be competing on the loops outside the venue, inside there will be a few small football courts where around 30 boys in the age group of six to eight years will play football games.
“Five of these kids will be selected and will be awarded two Emirates airline tickets for them to be accompanied by an adult each to watch AC Milan, a club sponsored by Emirates, play a game. They will be given a few days’ free stay at the Four Seasons Hotel in Milan and will get to meet the star players of the club and enjoy the facilities there.
“It will be a family day out and three children from the public will also be awarded three pairs of tickets, through a raffle draw, to see a match in Paris by Paris Saint-Germain, another club sponsored by Emirates airline. They will stay at the Four Seasons in Paris.”
Mubarak Rashid Al Nuaimi, Director of Promotion and Overseas Offices for Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority; Ali Al Muhairi, of Seih Al Salam Stables; Abdul Karim Fairuz, general manager of Al Awani Enterprises Establishment; Nadim Lahad, manager (Abu Dhabi Branch) of Emirates airline; Talal Al Hashemi, Abu Dhabi Sports Council representative; Nafez Abara, project manager for SAS Investment; and Stephen Bowey, Executive Director (Corporate Development) of Invest AD, also addressed the press conference.
