Hipodromos y caballos - Racetracks and horses BloodStockReview2013 | Page 75

AR AB R ACING AND BREEDING

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Series of top-class events
AS WELL as the Wathba Stud Farm
series, Sheikh Mansoor sponsors two
other prestigious race programmes,
including the Sheikh Zayed Bin
Sultan Al Nahyan Cup series, which
is run at 11 racecourses over a variety
of trips and showcases Arab racing at
the highest level.
From Switzerland to Texas,
California to France, the series offers
racegoers around the world the
chance to watch top-class Group races,
Arab-style.
Such is the growing profile of the
sport, in 2012 it shared the stage with
Frankel when he landed the Lockinge
Stakes at Newbury.
The third series, the HH Sheikha
Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies World
Championship, is named in honour of
Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak, Sheikh
Mansoor’s mother and chairwoman of
the General Women’s Union.

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The 12-race series is open to women
jockeys only. “The Sheikha Fatima series
are flagship races for international lady
riders – they come from all over the
world to represent their country,” says
Amanda Smith of the Arabian Racing
Organisation.
All three race series culminate in
glittering finales held after the EARS
conference for education and training in
Abu Dhabi.
Sheikh Mansoor also sponsors the
Darley awards, which for the past 26
years have honoured the best in Arabian
racing. In 2014 the glamorous event
will be held for the first time in
Hollywood.
To coincide with the Newbury stages
of the Sheikh Mansoor-sponsored race
series, the World Arabian Horseracing
Conference will be held for the first time
in London at the St James Theatre in
May 2014.