Dubai: Jockey Olivier Placais rode a tactical race aboard Nil Ashal to record a well-deserved victory in the Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival’s Wathba Stud Farm Cup race in Avenches, Switzerland, on Saturday.
In an exciting finish, 2012 Swiss National Champion Nil Ashal scored a narrow win over French-bred Sayf in the 1,800-metre event run on dirt at the Avenches National Equestrian Institute (IENA) track.
Owned by Urs Aeschbacher and trained by Franziska Aeschbacher, the five-year-old grey bred in Switzerland was completing a third win in three months against arch-rival Sayf, ridden by Maxim Pecheur.
Trainer Anika Daunheimer had to remain content with second and third places as her other runner, Atoum ‘Re, ridden by Lena Maria Mattes, finished behind stable companion Sayf.
Nil Ashal clocked 2min 13.38sec for the mile and one furlong distance.
Lara Sawaya, Executive Director of the Festival and Chairman of the IFAHR Ladies’ Racing Committee, said: “This was one of the busiest weekends for the Festival as we had races in Los Alamitos in Los Angeles, Samorin in Slovakia and Avenches in Switzerland.
“But we could not be more pleased with the response to all the races. This is what the Festival is all about.”
The 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, IFAHR and Emirates Arabian Horse Society.
