Newbury, UK: A record field of 80 horses, including contenders from five countries in Europe, will compete in Sunday’s Dubai International Arabian Races (DIAR), the most prestigious Purebred Arabian race meeting in the world.
The event, which is dedicated to raising the status of the Purebred Arabian is held under the patronage of Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and UAE Minister of Finance.
First staged at Kempton Park in UK 37 years ago, its present home is the beautiful Newbury Racecourse in Berkshire, a county in South East, England.
The DIAR, which feature eight glittering races for Arabian-bred horses and features three Group 1 contests and a Group 3, also offers a fantastic, entertaining day out for all the family.
This year’s meeting, like for the past two years, has benefited significantly from the 17 Prep-race programme of races across Europe, which has produced 51 horses who will be seen in action on Sunday, vying for a share of the bonus prizes on offer during the day.
Among them are nine horses each from France, Italy, Sweden and Holland, and 15 from the UK who have won a race or placed section during the qualifying stage to book their tickets to the Newbury showpiece.
Mirza Al Sayegh, Director of Shaikh Hamdan’s Office has been the driving force being promoting the DIAR, with a team that also comprises Abdullah Al Ansari, Masoud Saleh and Mohammad Taha. “The innovative programme, which was introduced following the instructions of Shaikh Hamdan, is peaking at the right time,” said Taha.
“It has qualified, for the first time, a record 51 horse which is great for the Newbury fixture.”
The winner and placed horses in each of the prep races will have the opportunity to earn valuable bonuses should they go on to win any of the day’s featured races — the Shadwell Dubai International Stakes (G1), the Shadwell Arabian Stallions Hatta International Stakes (G1) for fillies and mares, the DIAR International Stakes (G3) or the Rotana Hotels and Resorts Premier Handicap Stakes.
The important of Shaikh Hamdan’s commitment to supporting the Dubai International Arabian Races and Arabian racing around the world, cannot be overstated.
“Shaikh Hamdan has been an outstanding patron of the event, which is now 37 years old, and he also regularly sends some of his best Purebred Arabians to compete at Newbury,” says Taha, who has been involved with the event since its inception.
“Fifteen years ago there were around 50 Arabians in training in the UK, a number that has increased considerably as a result of the DIAR. Shaikh Hamdan alone has over 50 horses in training at his Newmarket-based yard. They are in the care of Philip Collington and James Owen, the leading Arabian trainers in the UK.
“The importance of this meeting is reflected in the quality of riders who will be in action in Sunday, among them are French champion Olivier Peslier, multiple UAE champion, Tadhg O’Shea, Pat Dobbs, Pat Cosgrave, Sam Hitchcott, Antonio Fresu, Francois-Xavier Bertras and Arabian specialist gentleman riders Simon Walker, Will Pettis and Ms Joanna Mason,” Taha added.
The highlight of the afternoon is the Shadwell Dubai International Stakes, a Group event for Purebred Arabians four-years-old and over and run over a distance of a mile and a quarter with prize money of £58,000 on offer.
