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MD Blue Chip wins UAE Equestrian and Racing Federation Stakes
Delaware Park Group 1 race attracts quality field

Five-year-old MD Blue Chip won the UAE Equestrian and Racing Federation Stakes (Group 1) Purebred Arabian race at the Delaware Park Racetrack in Wilmington, US on Saturday.

Trained by Ronald Martino, MD Blue Chip was ridden to a convincing five-and-a-half length win by William J Hollick on a sloppy track due to rains.

The UAE Equestrian and Racing Federation Stakes (Group 1) race, the richest race for Purebred Arabians in the USA is sponsored by the UAE and is being held for the fourth consecutive year.

A total of nine horses, including last year's winner DA Adios started in the US$ 160,000 race at the historic Delaware Park track.

Though Tour De France, a 4-year-old chestnut colt trained by Lorren Nichols and ridden by Alex O Beitia started as favourite, the New York-bred MD Blue Chip came up with a searing finish to win well from Geronimo HF.

Geronimo HF, an 8-year-old trained by Greg Ketter and ridden by Roberto Alvarado finished second with Lynette Hershbell's Maxisumus (Luis A Castillo) in third place.

MD Blue Chip completed the 2000 metre race on dirt in 2:19.55. DA Adios, the defending champion finished 5th just ahead of favourite Tour De France. The winning connection earned US$ 96,000 while the second-placed horse earned US$ 32,000.

"This year the UAE Equestrian and Racing Federation Stakes (Group 1) Purebred Arabian race attracted a strong field with quite a few promising young horses. From the UAE's point of view we are extremely satisfied with the growth of Purebred Arabian racing all around the world," said Hussein Mohammad Hussein, Secretary General of the UAE Equestrian and Racing Federation.

"We are also happy that this race was scheduled on the day when the $500,000 Grade III Kent Breeders' Cup was to be held, though that race was put off by a week due to the rain," he said.

Due to the heavy rains in the Delaware Valley the Grade III Kent Breeders' Cup will be run on Saturday, September 9th. The original field of fourteen, headlined by the unbeaten After Market, will remain the same and the race will not be redrawn.

Delaware Park is a multi-faceted gaming facility offering guests racing April through November, year-round simul-casting from around the globe and the White Clay Creek Country Club, featuring a world class 18-hole championship golf course.

The series of Purebred Arabian races being sponsored by the UAE Federation will next move to Holland, Newmarket and finish off in Baden-Baden, Germany.

American Madden leads in world show-jumping
Creditable display by UAE's Mohammad Al Kumaiti

American rider Beezie Madden topped the field after the initial speed competition as the World Show-jumping Championship began in Aachen on Tuesday.

Madden and her horse Authentic completed the course in the fastest timing of 77.62 seconds with no faults while Canada's Eric Lamaze on Hickstead (78.40) and Gerco Schroder of The Netherlands finished second and third respectively.

The competition was so close that just four faults separated the top 40 riders who will again take part in the second phase.

The Dutch team took a narrow lead in the team classification ahead of the USA and Brazil.

The UAE Mohammad Al Kumaiti, who was part of the 116-strong field from 40 countries, did well to come up with a creditable display. Riding Al Mutawakel, Mohammad Al Kumaiti finished with three faults. Competing with the best in the world and in front of a packed stadium filled with 38,000 fans, Al Kumaiti did well and showed no nerves.

"It was a very exciting experience. The course was very challenging and though I had a clear round during training the day before I knocked a few fences," said Al Kumaiti.

The demanding course, designed by the course builder Frank Rothenberger, was 600 metres long comprising of 13 obstacles and 16 fences in all.

Hussein Mohammad Hussein, Secretary General of the UAE Equestrian and Racing Federation praised the performance of the UAE rider. "Qualifying for the World Championship in itself is a big achievement. Al KUmaiti has done the UAE proud with a fine display," he said.

"For us it is more about participating at the highest level to gain experience. It was certainly a big occasion for the UAE rider in front of a record crowd and against the world's best," Hussein said.

The battle for team gold continues with the second rating competition. The deciding competition for the team medals will take place on today evening under floodlit conditions.

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