Grilla faces a tough task today in defending the Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Cup — a Grade 3 race which the Florida champion won when the Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Flat Racing Festival made its debut in Houston last year.
The 1,400m dirt contest, which carries a prize fund of $30,000 (Dh110,190) should see six-year-old Grilla challenged by two younger horses in the shape of five-year-old Rich Frynchman and four-year-old TM Junior Johnson, while seven-year-old Golly Bret could also be in the frame.
While Bill Waldron owns and trains Grilla, Rich Frynchman is trained by Dianne Waldron and it's the latter who has been installed as the punters' favourite.
After an impressive win in the Grade 2 Bob Magness Derby, Rich Frynchman did even better when he landed the Grade 1 Delaware Park Arabian Classic last November. The win in Delaware saw the son of TC Richie finish ahead of another multi-grade winner, TM Fred Texas, with Grilla finishing third. Owner and breeder Todd Moak is confident in TM Junior Johnson after the Texas-bred colt under Jose Figueroa won the $30,000 Texas Shootout. The rousing win by the full brother of TM Fred Texas will see the young colt take his chances against some older champions, including the Sam Vasquez-owned Golly Bret.
Heritage
Trained by Juan Antonio Ascencio and ridden by Ivan Arellano, the Texas-bred son of Kador De Blaziet improved his record to 12 wins from 28 starts when he won the $20,000 Arabian Stallion Stakes at Lone Star Park last November.
Sammy V and Ovour The Top are two other challengers in the 12-horse field, which also includes Its Far From Over, a four-year-old colt owned by Emirati Mohammad Faisal Al Hammadi.
The Shaikh Zayed Cup race is the first of two UAE-sponsored races in a card of ten at the Sam Houston Park and also kickstarts the Shaikh Mansour Festival's activities in the US.
"The race has attracted some of the best horses currently running in the US and we are expecting a great atmosphere and a large number of fans," said Lara Sawaya, Director of the Festival.
Talal Al Hashemi of Abu Dhabi Sports Council said: "These races not only reflect our support for Purebred Arabian horses but they are also a vehicle to showcase our culture and heritage."
