Marrakesh: The HH Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival will unveil four of its races at the Marrakesh race course in Morocco on Tuesday.
The Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Cup race headlines the Festival’s four races, the others being the HH Shaikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies World Championship race, the HH Shaikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Apprentice World Championship race and the Wathba Stallions Cup race. All four races are part of the Festival, which was initiated in 2009 by Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister of UAE and Minister of Presidential Affairs.
With the UAE celebrating 2018 as the Year of Zayed as it marks the 100th birth anniversary of the late Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Cup Listed race will carry a prize fund of Euro 35,000 and will be run over 1,900 metres.
A strong field of 12 horses have entered and they include Kerchera, Metrag, Bachar De Carrere, Jazzar, Dalsimata Cole, Autza, Emir Des Vialettes, Bint Grine, Enigma Al Coyan, Risk De Riolat, Aoun and Amenvol.
In the HH Shaikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies World Championship race, all eyes will be on local lady jockey Zinel El Briouil representing Morocco. Two professional jockeys — Poland’s Karolina Dynarowska and UK’s Alice Mills — are also in the fray. The others include Croatia’s Sara Giavarini, Denmark’s Lisa Lindbjerg, French rider Marie Lemartinel, Germany’s Eva Herresthal, Nadia Ebrahim from The Netherlands and Spanish jockey Beatriz Alonzo.
Ten jockeys will vie for top honours in the 1,600-metre HH Shaikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Apprentice World Championship race, which carries a prize fund of Euro 20,000. The winner of this race and the Ladies race will take part in the respective finals in Abu Dhabi in November.
The Wathba Stallions Cup race, which is aimed to boost Arabian racing at the lowest level, has attracted nine runners and will be run over 1,600 metres with a prize money of Euro 5000.
