Houston, Texas: Valiant Boy SBFAR, a four-year-old bred by Shaikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan was a double winner, while Dutch connections dominated in Sunday’s HH Shaikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Flat Racing Festival’s 26th Annual Darley Awards and the HH Shaikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Darley Awards respectively.
Valiant Boy SBFAR, with four wins and two second-place finishes in his seven starts, won the best four-year-old colt/gelding in the US awards and also received the Horse of The Year accolade to dominate the Darley Awards.
In the HH Shaikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Darley Awards, three contestants from The Netherlands claimed the spoils, with Germany’s Susanna Santesson earning the Lifetime Award for her services to ladies’ flat racing and the German Jockey Club.
Karin Van Der Bos from The Netherlands won the Best Owner, while her countrywomen Jadey Pietrawiscz (Best Jockey) and Diana Dorenburg (Best Trainer) made it a case of Dutch dominance at the HH Shaikha Fatima Awards.
At a ceremony hosted by well-known racing commentator Derek Thompson at the JW Marriot Hotel in Houston, Texas, the purebred Arabian fraternity came together to celebrate outstanding performances by horses and their connections.
The HH Shaikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Flat Racing Festival is organised by the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority and co-ordinated by Abu Dhabi Sports Council in association with Emirates Racing Authority among others.
