Adi De Saint Lon lands glory in Morocco
A winning jockey poses with the dignitaries after the race.
The race was one of the three organized by the festival as part of the UAE Abu Dhabi Race Day at this historic Moroccan city which is well known for its connections with Purebred Arabian racing.
It was Aoun, a Mahabb colt owned by Yas Horse Racing Management and winner of the 2018 Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Cup (Listed) race here in Marrakesh which looked the one to beat in the 1900-metre race which was the feature event of the afternoon.
But the A. Kouay-trained Adi De Saint Lon under jockey Amine Moughat however was in top form winning for owner Zakaria Semlali.
In the 1900-metre Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Apprentice World Championship race it was 21-year old Danish lady jockey Victoria Larsen who reigned supreme. Larsen scored a great win on Azaz Al Boraq, trained and owned by Zembsch Schreve. After winning this race which carried a prize fund of h 160,000, Larsen has now qualified to race in the Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Apprentice World Championship final to be held in November in Abu Dhabi.
The third race supported by the Festival was the Wathba Stallions Cup and Rachid Amenai who won this race on Fawzi Al Mels in 2018 was again the winning jockey this year.
Amenai steered Walled Al Mels, owned by Ezzeddine Sedrati, to an easy win in the Prix Wathba Stallion Cup carrying a prize fund of Dhs.70000 and run over 1600 metres.
Saif Khalifa Al Tunaiji, First Secretary of the UAE Embassy in the Kingdom of Morocco along with Ms Lara Sawaya, Executive Director of the Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival, General Manager of Wathba Stallions, Chairperson of the International Federation of Horse Racing Academies (IFHRA), Chairperson of Ladies & Apprentice Racing Committees in the International Federation of Arabian Horse Racing Authorities (IFAHR) and other top local and racing officials gave away the trophies.
The Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival is sustained by the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority and coordinated by Abu Dhabi Sports Council, with National Feed and Flour Production and Marketing Co. LLC as associate sponsors, The National Archives as the official partner and Emirates airline as the official carriers, in cooperation with Emirates Racing Authority, IFAHR, Emirates Arabian Horse Society, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, General Authority of Youth and Sports Welfare and sponsored by Ayadi LLC, Global United Veterinary Services LLC, Wathba Stallions, Abu Dhabi Falconers Club, Emirates Falconers Club, Mohamed Bin Zayed Falconry and Desert Physiognomy School, Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), Al Awani General Enterprises, Kabale, Omeir Travels, Laboratories Fadia Karam Cosmetics, YAS Channel, Racing Post, Paris Turf, Al Wathba Centre, the UAE’s General Women’s Union, The Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, the HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Sports Academy, Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition 2017, Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club, Eastern Mangroves Suites-Abu Dhabi by Jannah, Anantara Eastern Mangroves Spa and Resort.
