Capannelle, Rome: The historic Capannelle Racecourse in Rome is all set to host one of its biggest race days of the season on Sunday when it hosts three Group 1 Purebred Arabian races on a mouth-watering card featuring two Classics.

Run under the banner of ‘Dubai Day,’ the 150-year-old racecourse will renew a partnership that is now a well-established tradition between Capannelle and Dubai to celebrate the sport of horse racing.

The three Arabian races, part of the Dubai International Arabian Races (DIAR), are sponsored by Shadwell, the breeding arm of the global racing empire of Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance, under whose vision the alliance between Capannelle and Dubai was launched 15 years ago.

They are the Premio Taajer — UAE Embassy, a 2,000 metre contest for four-year-old and upwards, the Premio Shadwell Arabian Stallions for three-year-olds and run over 1,500m and the Premio DIAR 2019 also for four-year-olds and upwards over 2,000m.

Mirza Al Sayegh, Director of Shaikh Hamdan’s Office and Chairman of the DIAR Organising Committee, remarked: “This is a landmark day for Purebred Arabian racing at Capannelle Racecourse, who have been major supporter of Shaikh Hamdan’s vision to grow Purebred Arabian in Europe and around the world.

“We are extremely pleased with the response the three Arabian races have received and we believe that it will be a high-quality renewal of races that carried an added bonus linked to our flagship day at Newbury Racecourse in the UK, in July.”

Significantly, in what promises to be a major boost for the growth of Arabian racing, the meeting will also feature the thoroughbred Group 3 Premio Elena (1,000 Guineas) and the Group3 Premio Parioli Shadwell (2,000 Guineas) that leads to the prestigious Italian Derby.

Both races have attracted a high quality field of three-year-olds and also lured top international jockeys, including Frankie Dettori and Andrea Atzeni to Capannelle for the weekend.

The glittering nine-race card also includes the Premio DIAR, a noteworthy Listed race, the Premio Botticelli Emirates and the Premio Jebel Ali.

The Capannelle meeting kicks off the exciting DIAR programme of 17 races, which aims to qualify the best horses for the DIAR showpiece at Newbury Racecourse in the UK on July 28.

The 2019 DIAR sponsorship calendar includes races in Sweden, the Netherlands and France, as well as the United Kingdom. This list includes six stakes races and eight international races.

“This race programme can only be achieved thanks to our team and partners, including the racing authorities from Italy, Sweden, France, the Netherlands and the UK,” added Al Sayegh.