Abu Dhabi: Akkar, a four-year-old trained by Eric Dell’Ova and ridden by Olivier Placais, won the Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival’s Wathba Stud Farm Cup race in Avenches in Switzerland over the weekend.
The Wathba Stud Farm Cup series is organised by the Shaikh Mansour Festival to boost Arabian racing at the grassroots level and a quality field of horses took part in the 1,800-metre race, which carried a prize fund of €10,000 (Dh49,082).
Akkar finished ahead of Nil Ashal under jockey Aurelien Lemaitre while Victorie De Carrere under Romain Auray finished third. The winning margin was three lengths and the time was 2hr 30min 78sec.
“While organising the Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Flat Racing Festival, Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority has the preservation of the UAE’s cultural heritage and traditions as its driving principal,” Mubarak Hamad Al Muhairi, Director General, Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi) said in a message.
“Equestrianism in general, and Purebred Arabian racing in particular, has been a part of the life and spirit of every Emirati and by promoting this sport globally the festival seeks to enhance the status of Arabian racing.
“Under the directives and support of Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, and Her Highness Shaikha Fatima Bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women’s Union, Supreme President of the Family Development Foundation (FDF) and Head of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, the festival has achieved tremendous success and we intend to continue and build on this.”
