Abu Dhabi: UAE apprentice jockey Ahmad Al Subose, who finished third in a race in York on Saturday, wrapped up a successful weekend by winning the HH Shaikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Apprentice World Championship (IFAHR) race at the Tarbes racecourse in southern France on Sunday.
The 24-year-old scored a fantastic win in the third leg of the series — which is part of the HH Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival — on the Jean-Francois Bernard-trained AJS Rudainah.
Al Subose took up the running on the home stretch of this 1,500-metre turf contest to overtake leader and pre-race favourite Jenny Powell from Great Britain on Syrianah and win by a quarter of a length in a time of 1min 39.30sec.
Claire Marie Murray from Great Britain on Burkan Al Khalediah ran in third, while the winner’s stablemate AJS Mohanad under Barbara Szentes from Hungary was fourth.
Al Subose is in the middle of a good season, having won twice already, but said winning at the first attempt in France was a great moment.
“This is my first ever race in France and to win is a great feeling. AJS Rudainah ran a good race and, once I asked her for an effort, she cruised home in great style,” Al Subose said.
“This race series is really a great experience. The trainers are different, the courses are different, the horses are different and the jockeys are different from the regular racing. It is a great opportunity for upcoming jockeys to learn and carry home the experience. I am now waiting for the finale in Abu Dhabi on November 9.”
Winning trainer Bernard was delighted with his filly AJS Rudainah’s performance.
“She is a bit lazy and does not have a lot of speed. I asked Ahmad to wait and give her some time before she gets into action. He did just that and she was breezing home on the stretch. This is a good win for Al Shaqab Racing.”
Lara Sawaya — Executive Director of the Festival, Chairman of the Ladies Racing Committee at the International Federation of Arabian Horse Racing Authorities (IFAHR), and Chairman of Apprentice Jockeys & Racing in IFAHR — said: “This is a superb win for the UAE’s Ahmad Al Subose, who has now made it to the final on November 9 by merit.
“We now have the penultimate race of this series in the Netherlands, after which all four winners will reappear in the final on November 9 in Abu Dhabi.”
Veronique Briat, Manager of the French Arabian racing body AFAC, hailed the support of the Festival in France.
“We have over 80 races every season, but this series, which is only for apprentice jockeys, is a unique event and encourages upcoming jockeys including lady jockeys. The fans enjoyed the racing and we hope we will stage more races of this popular festival here in Tarbes and in other racecourses in France,” she said.
