Dubai: The Munich Racing Club (Müncherer Rennverein) will today host the UAE Festival Day 2011 which will feature a bumper card of nine thoroughbred races and prize money totalling over €130,000 (Dh681.187).
The meeting, sponsored by Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and UAE Minister of Finance, is part of a series that will see over 50 races taking place in seven countries around the world.
The UAE Festival Day is celebrating 14 years in Germany where it was previously held at Mannheim, Frankfurt, Baden Baden, Cologne and Hamburg.
This year the series was launched in Caulfield Racecourse in Australia in April
Müncherer Rennverein President Dr Norbert Poth said at a press conference to announce the event: "The support of Shaikh Hamdan and the UAE is greatly valued at the Bavarian racing centre of München-Riem, and we are extremely grateful to them for their generous sponsorship of the UAE Festival Day, which takes place as the highlight of the Bayern summer season."
Highlighting the feature races of the day, Rudolf Oster, General Secretary of the Müncherer Rennverein said: "The UAE Festival Day includes the valuable Shadwell Estate Co, UK sprint-auction race, a €52,000 race over 1,400 metres, which will without doubt attract a number of quality horses.
"The day offers a great variety of races, with seven other valuable highlights from the mile to the Classic distance, including handicaps and maidens."
Hubert Lorenz, Head of the Arabian Racing Club in Germany, who has been promoting Purebred Arabian racing in Germany for years said: "For the first time in Munich, Shaikh Hamdan's generous sponsorship will solely include thoroughbred races, but it is our hope that in the future Arabian racing will be promoted as well."
The UAE Festival Day's individual sponsors include the German UAE Embassy, Oilfields Supply Centre Ltd — UAE, and Dubai Airport, as well as Shadwell Estate Co Ltd — UK, Shadwell Farm — USA and Derrinstown Stud-Ireland, apart from Emirates airline.
Shadwell Stud's representative, Audrey Leyval said: "Since the purchase of Derrinstown Stud in Ireland in 1982 and then Shadwell Estates in the UK in 1984, Shaikh Hamdan's racing operation has quickly developed to become one of the most successful on a global scale. With its headquarters based at the prestigious Nunnery Stud in Great Britain, the operation includes Shadwell Stud in the UK, Derrinstown Stud in Ireland and Shadwell Farm in the USA, as well as horses in training and breeding stock in France, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, South America and South Africa."
