Dubai: The Shaikh Saeed Bin Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum-owned Mansour will start today's final heat of the Dubai Traditional 60 foot Dhow Sailing Race as favourite.
Winner of the earlier heat and also the defending champion from last year, Mansour — skippered by Mattar Rashid Saeed Al Tayer — will have the edge over the field when the race is held off the Mina Seyahi waters of the Dubai International Marine Club.
The main challengers include Al Khayay, owned by Humaid Khalifa Bin Zaiban and skippered by Abdul Rahim Mohammad Ahmad Shadmani, and Kahhal, owned by Ahmad Abdullah Murshid Al Rumaithi.
"Even though this race is the final heat of the championship, it is also meant to be a final warm-up event for the ‘Al Gaffal' Sir Bu Naair race to be held at the end of next month," said DIMC's sports manager Sid Bin Salah.
Field of 74
The final race of the championship has attracted a field of 74 dhows, most of which will also be involved in the season-ending ‘Al Gaffal' race held between Sir Bu Naair island and the DIMC, normally in the last week of May.
