Abu Dhabi: The 2014 edition of the HH Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival yearbook was unveiled at the 25th Abu Dhabi International Book Fair on Thursday.
The first copy of the fourth edition of the yearbook was presented to Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Foreign Minister.
The coffee table yearbook celebrates the achievements of the festival, whose objective is to promote Purebred Arabian racing around the world. More than 300 pages in length, it offers detailed information on all the events held under the umbrella of the Shaikh Mansour Festival in chronological order.
Lara Sawaya, Executive Director of the Shaikh Mansour Festival, briefed Shaikh Abdullah about the festival’s activities before presenting him with a copy.
“We are very proud that Shaikh Abdullah accepted the 2014 yearbook as this publication reflects all the activities that have been staged to enhance Purebred Arabian racing and endurance sport, all of which are part of the UAE’s heritage,” Sawaya said.
The foreword for the yearbook is written by Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE and Minister of Presidential Affairs, and also includes messages from Shaikh Sultan Bin Tahnoun Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Board at Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi), and Jasem Al Darmaki, Acting Director General of TCA Abu Dhabi, among others.
“This is the only yearbook for any international horse racing series in the world and we are proud that the fourth consecutive edition is out. The book is an attractive collection of reports, articles and pictures, which stand testament to the racing skills of the Purebred Arabian horse,” Sawaya added.
The yearbook is edited by M. Satya Narayan, a former Abu Dhabi Deputy Editor for Gulf News, who has been covering horse racing and endurance for more than two decades.
The Shaikh Mansour Festival is sustained by TCA Abu Dhabi and coordinated by Abu Dhabi Sports Council in cooperation with Emirates Racing Authority, IFAHR, Emirates Arabian Horse Society, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, General Authority of Youth and Sports Welfare.