Dunidigt, The Netherlands: Last year’s winner Ameretto scored a superb victory at the Duindigt racecourse in The Netherlands on Sunday to stay in contention for the Euro Triple Bonus of €30,000 (Dh150,000) in the Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Cup series.
Earlier in the HH Shaikha Fatima Bint Mubarak IFAHR Ladies World Championship race, 18-year-old Belgian professional Anna van den Troost rode the
Jean Pierre Totain-trained Udjess de Bozouls to a stunning win against some fancied rivals including Alibaba Del Sol.
The Group 3 Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Cup had attracted a strong field but Ameretto, who finished second here in 2012 and a winner last year, once again rose to the occasion under Italian jockey Mauro Manueddu. Though Tadhg O’Shea under Burnet gave Ameretto a strong challenge on the home stretch, the Amer son did well to prevail by a length and-a-half with Samima under Jean-Baptiste Hamel in third place.
The winning time was 2:05.50 for the 1900-metre turf contest with €35,000 as the total prize fund.
“Last year, we won the €30,000 bonus with Ameretto. This year, he finished second in the first leg in Berlin and now has won the second leg here. We will give him rest in July and then take him for the third and final leg in Warsaw, Poland to try and bag the bonus gain,” said owner Dr Paul-Jean Daverio.
Belgian van den Troost, meanwhile, had to wait for the Steward’s decision after second-placed American jockey Natalie Turner on Paramour T had filed an objection for interference. The result stood and van den Troost was delighted after a superb run on Udjess de Bozouls with the debutant American Turner chasing her home on Paramour T. The two professionals set an example for the remaining amateur lady jockeys as fancied horses Alibaba Del Sol and Sartejano were left behind by the duo.
Anna van den Troost became the 10th lady jockey to clinch her berth in the Abu Dhabi finale of the HH Shaikha Fatima Bint Mubarak IFAHR Ladies World Championship scheduled for November 2014.
“It was a close contest and my horse proved equal to the task. The trainer asked me to keep him in front and Udjess de Bozouls did the rest. I am excited to be taking part in the finale and I have heard so much about it,” said the winning jockey van den Troost.
Abdullah Hamdan Al Naqbi, the UAE Ambassador to The Netherlands gave away the trophies along with Adnan Sultan Al Nuaimi, Director General of Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club and Lara Sawaya, Executive Director of Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival and Chairman of Ladies Racing at the International Federation of Arabian Horse Racing Authorities (IFAHR).
