Newbury, England: Records will be consigned to history when the UK’s historic Newbury Racecourse hosts the 36th running of the Dubai International Arabian Races (DIAR), the richest and most prestigious race meeting in the world, on Sunday.
The popular eight-race event, headlined by the Group 1 Shadwell Dubai International Stakes, will see a record 86 runners, including six defending champions from last year’s races, in action at the picturesque Surrey track.
Among them are as many as 17 winners from the innovative 18-event prep-race programme devised as a build-up to the meeting.
In addition a record 26 international runners from France, Belgium, Italy and Holland will compete with Purebred Arabian horses based in the UK to vie for a record prize fund of Pounds 193,000 the richest since the DIAR was first held at Newbury in 2003.
The event is being held under the patronage of Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance, and organised by the DIAR Committee headed by Mirza Al Sayegh, Director of Shaikh Hamdan’s Office.
His core team is supported by Abdullah Al Ansair, Masoud Saleh and Mohammad Taha — who have worked tirelessly to put together an outstanding day of racing that is guaranteed to keep racegoers entertained off the track as well with a variety of activities and competitions on offer.
Speaking at a press conference at Newbury on Thursday, Al Sayegh said: “The Dubai International Arabian Races is an important part of Shaikh Hamdan’s vision to enable more people to enjoy the sport of Arabian horse racing and with the support of Shadwell to help more countries to develop the sport internationally.”
Al Sayegh thanked all the sponsors, which include Emirates NBD, Emirates Airline, Jebel Ali Racecourse, Emirates Equestrian Federation, UAE Embassy and Roda Hotels for supporting Shaikh Hamdan’s passion for Purebred Arabian racing.
Richard Lancaster, Director of Shadwell, the breeding arm of Shaikh Hamdan’s worldwide racing operation, acknowledged that the DIAR meeting has reached the pinnacle of the support thanks to the commitment of Shaikh Hamdan. “The prep-race programme and the prize money bonuses on offer is a great initiative that has helped encourage more Arabian horse owners to compete for tickets to the DIAR,” he said.
Julian Thick, Director of Newbury Racecourse, said: “This is a huge day for us, not just for racing but for the community as well. It generally brings new people to racing its an important part of our program here at Newbury for the year.”
Prize money for this year’s eight races is £193,000, an increase of £13,000 on 2016 following a similar rise last year, with all four Group races on the programme benefiting.
The Group 2 PA Emirates Equestrian Federation International Stakes has received a 20 per cent boost and is now worth £25,000, and the day’s featured Group 1 PA Shadwell Dubai International Stakes increased by £3,000 to £58,000. The Jebel Ali Racecourse Za’abeel International Stakes and the Shadwell Arabian Stallions Hatta International Stakes, both Group 1 PA events, increase from £32,500 to £35,000.
Racing UK, the country’s leading satellite horse racing channel, will provide live coverage of the entire card which gets underway with the Emirates Premier Handicap at 5.05pm (UAE time). All races will be available to view online via the Arabian Racing Organisation’s website at www.aroracing.co.uk.
