Abu Dhabi: History will be written when the HH Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival stages the €1.2 million (Dh4.9 million) Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Jewel Crown (Group 1) at the Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club in November.
A field of 16 runners — three from the US, three from Europe, three from GCC nations and the rest from the UAE — will vie for a slice of the world’s richest prize for Purebred Arabian horses.
The race will be the highlight of the Shaikh Mansour Festival’s ‘One World, Six Continents’ extravaganza, together with the final race of the HH Shaikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies World Championship, the HH Shaikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Apprentice World Championship and the Wathba Stud Farm Cup.
“We have received 57 nominations. All nominations received will be sent to the Emirates Arabian Horse Society (EAHS) to make the final decision on the horses that are eligible to take part. We will strictly abide by the rules and regulations of the EAHS, but the final selection of the 16 runners will be our decision,” said Lara Sawaya, Executive Director of the Shaikh Mansour Festival.
Essam Abdullah, of EAHS said: “The main objective is to improve the quality of our breeding because this is our identity and for this reason we need to protect our industry and ensure that we have the best lines of Purebred Arabian Sires and Dams.
“We, as a governing body, softened some of our restrictions at the beginning of this year and the third generation of banned stallions has been allowed to race in the UAE. I’m not in a position to name any of them at this moment, but we are updating our records and stud books to keep things going and the few restrictions that we are holding are necessary to protect our breeders and breeding process.”
Sawaya added that the entire day’s card on November 8 will be sponsored by the Shaikh Mansour Festival.
