UAE EQUESTRIAN & RACING FEDERATION

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.

BELGIUM WIN FOR SH MANSOUR - 17 August 2006

The President of the UAE International Race Day was held on a National Holiday at the Wellington Hippodroom.in the Belgium coastal resort of Ostend. It is the premier fixture of the Belgium Arabian Horses racing calendar and attracted a large crowd of Spectators.

Luckily the torrential rain that befell the first Arab race turned to brilliant sunshine as a strong field of eight international runners lined up for the feature race of the meeting The President of the UAE Challenge Derby for 4year old pure bred Arabians.

The colt Daffah owned by HH Sh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan proved to be the class act. The Dutch runner Grace T, who went on to finish fourth, set a strong pace over the opening six furlongs. The French bred and owned Matys, trained in Holland by Karen Van de Bos, was close to the action.

Another French runner Quassila Thabet raced along side Daffah, they were just off the pace lying third and fourth down the back stretch. ..They made their challenge as they turned for home. Quassila drew clear but Daffah accelerated up the outside in the final furlong to win easily by two lengths. HH Sh Mansour won this race last year.

Col Hussein Mohammed Hussein, Secretary General UAE Equestrian & Racing Federation, accepted the trophy on behalf of Sh Mansour from HE Mohammed bin Salem Al Suwardi, the UAE Ambassador to Belgium.

The start of the Abu Dhabi International Championship for 3 year olds, which took place in torrential rain, was delayed when the Dutch entry Paraclett broke through the starting gates unseating her jockey. She eventually finished fifth. This is the first 3 year old race of the current Belgium season of Arab races.

A closely fought finish produced another winner for the UAE. The French bred and trained UAE Nonstop owned by Faisal Seddiq Al Mutawa won by a short head in a photo finish with. the Belgium bred mare. Froda. This mare is the latest protégé of Belgium's leading breeder and trainer Johan Verstrepen.

The generous sponsorship by HH Dr Sh Sultan Bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, Chairman of the UAE Equestrian & Racing Federation, it a great incentive to Arabian Racing in Belgium and the whole of Europe.

Other Version: عربي

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