Doncaster to host UAE President’s Cup for Purebred Arabian Horses

The historic Doncaster Racecourse in the United Kingdom hosts the thirteenth leg of the UAE President’s Cup for Purebred Arabian Horses, within the calendar of the 33rd edition of the cup coinciding with the celebrations of the historic St Leger Festival in its 250th year.

The cup series is staged with the support of His Highness Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court, reflecting his sustained commitment to developing the Arabian horse racing industry, supporting owners and breeders in countries around the world, and encouraging them to acquire and breed the Arabian horse and to elevate its standing at the most important international racecourses.

The Doncaster summit, staged on the closing day of the Anglo Arab Derby, brings together an elite gathering of the most prominent Arabian horses on the world stage, in a meeting that unites the strongest of British and European studs, lending the race considerable technical and competitive value and reinforcing the leg’s standing among the most prominent legs of the current edition.

The UAE Derby for Purebred Arabian Horses is run in the Group 1 category over 2,000 metres on turf, open to four-year-old Purebred Arabian colts and fillies, with prize money of £250,000, making it the most valuable race of its kind in Europe, staged alongside one of the most celebrated days of the famous St Leger meeting at Doncaster. The race gets underway at 8:23pm (UAE time), amid anticipation of a strong contest bringing together a group of the most prominent horses to have proven themselves in Group 1 races this season.

Heading the list of contenders is Sab’aan Al Shahania (by Amer out of Marjouya), champion of the French Arabian Derby at Chantilly, owned by Sheikha Iman Bint Mohammed Al Thani, trained by François Rohaut and ridden by Stephane Pasquier. He seeks to combine the French and English Derby titles, which would make him only the fifth champion to achieve the double.

Also prominent in the field is Romeo AT (by AF Al Buraq out of Tawazun), runner-up in the French Arabian Derby and third-placed finisher in last year’s edition of this very race, carrying the colours of Wathnan Racing, trained by Xavier Thomas-Demeaulte and ridden by Tom Marquand. He renews his rivalry with Sab’aan Al Shahania after the tight finish that separated them at Chantilly.

Entering the contest with strong credentials is Laffan (by AF Al Buraq out of Ajayeb), owned by Al Wasmiyah Racing, trained by François Rohaut and ridden by Maxime Guyon, following a distinguished record that includes two Group 1 victories over 2,000 metres in France, as well as a runner-up finish against a field of older horses in a Group 1 race at Deauville this August.

The British contingent is represented by Al Sharid (by Al Muwaffaq out of Olympia), a previous winner at Doncaster over this same distance, owned and trained by David Griffiths and ridden by John F. Egan.

Completing the field are Ashj’aa (by AF Al Buraq out of Munadi), carrying the colours of Athbah Racing, trained by Philip Collington and ridden by Dougie Costello, and Zayin Sentinel (by Sevrit Al Maury out of Samawaring Zayin), representing Red Dragon Racing Club, trained by Philip Collington and ridden by Joanna Mason.

The record of the Doncaster leg carries the names of some of the most prominent Purebred Arabian champions, among them Hayyan (2019) and Hattal (2020), both for Yas Horse Racing Management, Aabes, champion of the 2021 edition, Al Dawha, crowned in 2023, Lusail, champion of 2024, and Libo de Carrere, who claimed the title of last year’s edition, confirming the considerable technical value of the race and its role in producing champions who continue their presence at the world’s most important events.

The Doncaster leg comes as an extension of the Prestigious Cup’s distinguished presence in the United Kingdom during the 33rd edition, following the success achieved by the Newbury leg on 14 August, staged for the first time at that historic racecourse and won by the colt Eljas du Bienn (by Muntaser Al Khalediah out of Djaiza du Bienn), owned by Sheikh Hamed Khadim Butti Al Hamed, trained by Elisabeth Bernard Jean-François and ridden by Antoine Werle, in the Group 3 race for three-year-olds over 1,600 metres.

Matar Suhail Al Yabhouni Al Dhaheri, Chairman of the Higher Organizing Committee of the UAE President’s Cup for Purebred Arabian Horses, affirmed that the Doncaster leg represents an important date in the agenda of the 33rd edition, given the racecourse’s rich history and prestigious standing on the world racing scene, alongside the race being staged on the closing day of the Anglo Arab Derby and coinciding with the celebrations of the St Leger Festival in its 250th year.

He said: ”We take pride in the strong participation the British leg is witnessing from an elite group of the world’s most prominent Arabian horses, reflecting the considerable technical value of the UK Derby and the standing the Prestigious Cup holds on the world stage.”

He added: “Staging two legs of the Prestigious Cup in the United Kingdom this year, from Newbury through to Doncaster, reflects the expanding presence of the series and the growth of its partnerships with historic racecourses, a direct expression of the support of  Sheikh Mansour and his vision aimed at strengthening the standing of the Arabian horse, providing the strongest races for owners and breeders, and presenting the champions of the future to the world’s racecourses’.

He continued: “The presence of the Prestigious Cup on the closing day of the Anglo Arab Derby, amid this elite gathering of horses, confirms the importance of the British leg and the strength of the partnership with historic races and racecourses, and reflects the leading role of the United Arab Emirates in supporting and elevating the standing of the Arabian horse around the world.”