Dubai: The stage is set for the 2017 HH Shaikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies World Awards and the US Darley Awards which will crown the Champions of Purebred Arabian horse racing.
Held under the patronage of HH Shaikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival and the Arabian Racing Cup, the ceremony will be held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California on Friday.
This year’s awards ceremony gains added significance as the UAE is marking the 100 birth anniversary of late Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan. It is also the 10th year of the Shaikh Mansour Festival.
The Darley Awards feature 11 categories headed by the prestigious Horse of the Year division where the nominees are Easter Man, Paddys Day and Quick And Rich.
Meanwhile, on Saturday some of the best Purebred Arabians racing in the US will line up for the HH Shaikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Darley International Awards Stakes — a $100,000 (Dh367,000) Grade 1 event to be held at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California.
On Sunday, the Arabian Racing Cup (ARC) Board of Stewards led by Michelle Morgan will present the 25th Annual ARC Darley Stallion Auction featuring select international sires at the gala dinner.
The Shaikh Mansour Festival’s announcer Derek Thompson will once again serve as the auctioneer. The sale will be accompanied by dinner at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons hotel.
“This is a huge year for us and this event is being held as we mark the ‘100 years of Zayed’ and also the 10th anniversary of the HH Shaikh Mansoor Festival,” said Lara Sawaya, Executive Director of the HH Shaikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival.
“It will be an exciting three days of action and all this has been possible only due to the support of Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE and Minister of Presidential Affairs and Her Highness Shaikha Fatima Bint Mubarak, Wife of the late President Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Chairwoman of the General Women’s Union, President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, and Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation.”
Michelle Morgan, Chief Steward of ARC said: “This is the eighth year for Arabian Racing Cup and the HH Shaikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival and HH Shaikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies World Awards to join together for the Darley Awards.
“With this union we are proud to say the Arabian Racing Cup and the Arabian horses are gaining recognition in the US. We are looking forward to this week of Awards, Racing and Friendship.”
