Stockholm, Sweden: Dutch trainer Miss Karin van den Bos bagged a feature-race double as thousands of Swedish racing fans celebrated National Day at the Gardet racecourse in Stockholm’s Royal National City Park on Friday.
Van den Bos scored a double in Stockholm in 2012 and the Darley Award-winning trainer repeated the feat on Friday with victories by Athlete Del Sol and Alibaba Del Sol.
A French-bred son of Dormane, Athlete Del Sol was given a perfect ride by Carlos Lopez to won the Euro 36,361.51 HH Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Cup from Sartejano, the mount of Jacob Johansen while the Andreas Helfenbein-ridden Ghazal T finished third.
Van den Bos completed her big-race double when Australian Robyn Freeman-Key scored a thumping nine-length win aboard Alibaba Del Sol in the HH Shaikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies World Championship IFAHR race, which for the first time was contested by an all-professional lady jockeys line-up.
Al Janoob, ridden by England’s Rachael Kneller, came in second while and Canadian debutant Janine Ellen Smith rode Neira Royal to take third place.
Both races were held under the banner of the HH Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival.
Van den Bos hailed Alibaba Del Sol who had also proved his versatility by winning on the frozen ‘White Turf’ ice track in St Moritz in Switzerland earlier this year.
“My horses were in great condition and Alibaba Del Sol at nine still wants to run, wants to win,” she said.
“It has been tough for them, travelling for over three days to come here but they were just superb and we enjoyed racing in front of this record crowd.”
Freeman-Key was delighted to notch here 401st winner and said: “This is the first time I have ever ridden an Arabian horse and it was such a pleasing experience with the win making it a memorable series debut.
“I am super excited to having clinched a berth in the Abu Dhabi finale and I am looking forward to that race,” said the 33-year-old Australian, who has also won in Macau and South Africa.
She will now join the winners of the previous Shaikha Fatima races held this year in the dream lineup for the series finale in Abu Dhabi in November. The jockeys who have qualified are Ireland’s Evanna McCutcheon (Oman winner); UK’s Alyson Deniel (Australia); France’s Prod’Home Pauline (Switzerland); American Sandee D. Martin (Houston, USA); South Korean Keumjoo Lee (Morocco); Victoria Allers of Norway (Toulouse, France); Netherland’s Jadey Pletrasiewicz (Germany) and Brazilian Jeane Alves (Newbury, UK).
Shaikha Najla Al Qasimi, the UAE Ambassador to Sweden attended the races and gave away the trophies to the winners.
“This race meeting has been remarkable and the largest audience ever to watch a Purebred Arabian race here in Sweden. This success is testimonial to the huge interest that the HH Shaikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival has been attracting in all races, wherever they are held,” Shaikha Najla Al Qasimi said.
Lara Sawaya, Executive Director of HH Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival and Chairman of Ladies Racing at IFAHR said: “The Swedish race meeting was a perfect advertisement for Purebred Arabian racing. With nearly 50,000 fans in attendance the Festival’s two races were the showcase events of the afternoon amidst perfect weather conditions.”
“With the participation of the Canadian lady jockey Janine Ellen Smith, the number of countries that have taken part in our ground-breaking HH Shaikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies World Championship IFAHR race series for lady jockeys has now reached 54. This truly reflects the success of the series as well as the Festival.”
The Festival’s next stop will be in the Netherlands on June 22.
