Abu Dhabi: Top international riders from the UAE and around the world will compete for honours in the prestigious His Highness The President of the UAE Endurance Cup at the Emirates International Endurance Village on Saturday.
The CEI 3-star event, which will be held over a testing 160km, is staged under the directives of President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and General Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and under the supervision of Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE and Minister of Presidential Affairs.
It is one of the showpiece events of the season at the Al Wathba Endurance Village in Abu Dhabi together with the National Day Cup (120 Km).
The winner will take home a customised Rolex wrist-watch and a cash prize of Dh300,000, plus a car.
The runner-up will receive Dh200,000 plus a car while the third placed finisher will also go home with a car and a cash prize of Dh100,000.
In addition, the winning team will be presented with a car besides a share of the Dh1.5 million prize-money which will be distributed among all the riders who finish the ride.
“This prestigious competition is sponsored by the Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival with over 125 riders representing the UAE, USA, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Netherlands, Switzerland, Norway, Belgium, Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia expected to take part,” Adnan Sultan Al Nuaimi, director general of the Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club said during a press conference at the Eastern Mangroves Hotel’s HH Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Festival Lounge.
“The race is open for individuals and teams, and each team will be comprised of four riders. In this particular race, 25 horses from outside the UAE have been sanctioned to enter the competition.”
Lara Sawaya, director of the Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival and chairman of the Ladies Racing Committee in the International Federation of Arabian Horse Racing Authorities (IFAHR), commented: “This is a very special championship, which is very close to our hearts and emotions.
“Media representatives from around the globe will be covering the race. The 50 organisers and hosts of the Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Festival endurance fixtures have also been invited together with the 80 guests of the Abu Dhabi Endurance Club to make a total number of 130 top international endurance personalities.
“The festival will also provide a special gift to the winner of the HH The President Cup, which is a custom-made Rolex watch that carries the colours and logo of the Shaikh Mansour Festival with the name of the festival also engraved on it.
“The top five winners will also be invited to attend the upcoming World Arabian Horse Conference London 2014, and should a winner or runner-up be under age, he will be accompanied by one of his parents. Five or more business airfares have been provided by the Emirates Airline for this purpose.”
The details and surprises of the ‘One World Endurance + Flat Races’ will be announced during an international news conference on Sunday at the same venue.
“The festival is promoting Abu Dhabi and the Emirates International Endurance Village outside the UAE and there are more surprises to come,” she concluded.
