Sacramento: The Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival has launched an exciting new series for apprentice jockeys, with the first race scheduled to be run on Saturday in Sacramento, California.
The series, which will be called the Shaikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Apprentice World Championship (IFAHR), will encompass five races, culminating in the championship finale in Abu Dhabi on November 9.
Three other races will be staged in Newbury, UK on August 3, Baden-Baden, Germany, on September 7 and Tarbes, France, on October 12.
Speaking during the draw in Sacramento on Wednesday, Lara Sawaya, the Festival’s executive director and chairman of Ladies’ Racing at IFAHR, said: “We thank...Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, and...Shaikha Fatima Bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women’s Union, Supreme President of the Family Development Foundation and President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, for this wise initiative.
“This series is to encourage the promising young jockeys, usher in a new generation of jockeys and ensure the future is strong as they go on to become professionals.”
The UAE’s Ahmad Al Subosi, who has shown a lot of promise and is part of the all-conquering Godolphin Stables, will be riding in Saturday’s race along with apprentice jockeys from nine other countries.
They include Gemma Tutty (Great Britain); Corrine Andros (Canada); Aase Marie Brown (Sweden); Patrick Gibson (Germany); Gianni Siaffa (France); Joshua Cartwright (Australia); Laura Barry (Ireland); Gianluca Sanna (Italy); and Laura Carson (USA).
Italian Sanna, a 20-year-old apprentice with one win from four rides, rides the favourite Sammy V and the recent record-breaking performer looks the one to beat in the 10-horse field.
Al Subosi will be aboard local hope Le Jest A Flash in the 1,200 race, which offers a total prize fund of $27,000 (Dh99,172).
