Bratislava: Senna OA capped a busy week for the Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival when posting a commendable victory in the Wathba Stud Farm Cup at the Ghlin race track in Belgium.
Trained by Daniel Klomp in Holland, the six-year-old atoned for his defeat by Athlete del Sol in the Festival’s Group 2 Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Cup at Baden-Baden in Germany last month by making most of the drop in class to win the 1,500-metre event.
Ridden by Stephen Hellyn, Senna OA finished ahead of N Minner’s Victor, with Madjy third in the 10-horse field.
Belgian rider Hellyn looks to be in the form of his life, having last month ridden Sirius to win the 124th running of the Group 1 Grosser Preis von Berlin, one of the oldest races in the world, dating back to 1888.
Earlier this week, the Wathba Stud Farm Cup also visited Avenches in Switzerland and Samorin in Slovakia.
The Shaikh Mansour Festival organises races across Europe and in America to provide owners of Purebred Arabian horses with more opportunities to compete and help develop the sport further.
Nelly Philippot, chairwoman of the Arabian Horse Racing Club of Belgium, thanked Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE and Minister for Presidential Affairs, for bringing quality Arabian racing to Belgium.
“Last month the Zayed Cup was a huge success and the HH Shaikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies World Championship (IFAHR) races were a big hit here, while the Wathba Stud Farm Cup race on Tuesday gives more opportunities to the Arabian racing connections here,” she said.
