Abu Dhabi: Sir Bani Yas, owned by the President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, came up with a devastating run in the final stages to win the Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival’s Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Cup (Group 1) race at the Sandown Park racecourse in the United Kingdom on Saturday.

The £80,000 race was the biggest purse in Saturday’s meeting and was part of the Emirates day with many UAE-based sponsors supporting other races on the card.

The Elizabeth Bernard-trained Sir Bani Yas ridden by UAE champion jockey Tadhg O’Shea delivered with a searing run through the middle even as Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s Aghsaan and Awzaan chased him home but could only finish second and third respectively.

Winning jockey O’Shea said, “It’s a privilege to get offered the ride on him by the Al Asayl team, he’s a very, very good horse. Obviously he’s been a model of consistency, so it’s great get another Group 1 under his belt.”

Tactically it was a tricky race to ride as they split across the track, but the main thing was not to get to the front too soon. I waited as long as I dared and then pressed the button. Thankfully he had enough class to get to the line well,” he said.

Trainer Bernard commented, “It was hard at the finish as the horses went to different sides of the track. Sir Bani Yas likes to battle, so when he can’t see the other horses, it is more difficult. If he gets to the front too early, he stops because he thinks his job is finished, so it is very important to hit the front at the last moment. Tadhg O’Shea rode him very well as he doesn’t know him. We may have another race before the Qatar World Cup, but I will speak with the racing manager.”

Several other races supported by UAE companies were held alongside the Shaikh Zayed Cup and among them the feature was a Group 3 TCA Abu Dhabi Solario Stakes. Favourite South Seas obliged under Oisin Murphy for trainer Andrew Baldwin in rather comfortable manner.

Godolphin’s Serengeti was the favourite in the Omeir Travel Agency Nursery race over 7 furlongs but was beaten to third place with Jamie Osborne’s Harbour Master winning under jockey George Baker.

Son of Africa pleased his connections with a surprise win in the Global United veterinary Services Handicap under Harry Bentley for trainer Henry Candy while in a very exciting finish favourite Baydar edged out Goodwood Mirage by a short head in the National Feed & Flour Production Handicap. Jospehine Gordon was the winning jockey for trainer Hugo Palmer.

Baker went on to complete a double when he won on the Jeremy Scot-trained Unison in the Yas TV Handicap while also completing a double in the UAE-supported meeting was another jockey, Harry Bentley.

Bentley steered the Ralph Beckett-trained Pure Art to a superb shorthead win over Man Look in the final Abu Dhabi Sports Council Handicap.

Sulaiman Hamid Al Mazroui, the UAE Ambassador to the UK, Shaikh Mohammad Bin Maktoum Al Maktoum, First Secretary at the UAE Embassy in the UK, Saqr Naser Al Raisi, the UAE Ambassador to Italy, Aref Al Awani of Abu Dhabi Sports Council, Mubarak Al Nuaimi of TCA Abu Dhabi, Hamad Ali Al Ahbabi, Supporting Business Department Manager, IPIC, Dr. Abdullah Al Reyes, Director-General of the National Archives, Abdul Rahim Yusuf Al Awadi, Mansour Al Mansouri and Arabian Racing Organisation Director Genny Haynes along with Lara Sawaya, Executive Director of the Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival attended the races and gave away the trophies.