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Conference could be held in other countries annually, says Sawaya

ABU DHABI – The director of the Shaikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Flat Racing Festival, Lara Sawaya, said on Saturday that the future of Arabian racing looks bright after successfully staging Arabian races at major race meetings in Europe.

Speaking at the first-ever World Arabian Horse Racing Conference, which was held alongside the Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition 2010 (ADIHEX) at ADNEC, Sawaya added that Shaikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Flat Racing Festival will support any country or body which will stage the World Arabian Horse Racing Conference on an annual basis.

“Shaikh Mansour’s initiative has made it possible to not only stage this event but, before this, he has shown that there is a future for Arabian racing with his ground-breaking support for races for small stables and small owners. The future does look bright as we have been able to stage our Arabian races at major racing meetings in Europe. We might have been given the seventh or last race but the fact that Arabian horses showed their ability and fans watched them is important.

“We are willing to support any country or body which will stage this conference in future and I hope it will be held in other countries on an annual basis,” Sawaya said.

The conference, which began on Thursday, was organised by Shaikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Flat Racing Festival and the three-day event, which concluded on Saturday, was held under the patronage of Shaikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs. The event was held in co-ordination with the Abu Dhabi Sports Council (ADSC), the International Federation of Arabian Horse Racing Authorities (IFAHR) and Emirates Arabian Horse Society (EAHS).

The International Federation of Arabian Horse Racing (IFAHR) chairman, Sami Al Boenain (Qatar), the Emirates Arabian Horse Society (EAHS) chief, Essam Abdulla (UAE), the president of Netherlands Arabian Racing, Wieger de Ruiter, and Sweden’s Mats Genberg were the other panel members involved in a highly educative and interactive session.

Almost all those present and attending the three-day programme hailed the staging of this first-ever conference and agreed that this will be a landmark event which will chart the future of Arabian racing. They also agreed that the potential for the growth of Arabian racing was bright.

Regarding the use of embryonic technology, Essam Abdullah clarified that the World Arabian Horse Organization (WAHO) had cleared the use of embryonic transfer but left it to the registration authorities in the respective countries to decide on the numbers. “Some countries have refused it, some have agreed to two embryonic transfers per mare, some five, some ten while some have not put any restrictions on the numbers,” he said.

“Technology has always been used and I see no harm in that. We need solid statistics and feedback before we can say any particular move is good or bad,” Abdulla added.

De Ruitersaid he was not against the use oftechnology in breeding of Arabian horses but felt it should be done cautiously. “We have to support small racing centres and create a wider base. There will be no cream if there is no milk and if we want good Arabian bloodlines to continue and grow, we have to support small breeders and owners,” he pointed out.

HSBC Bank, Invest AD, Bonyan International Investment Group LLC, Areej Al Ameerat were the sponsors of the conference with the Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club, Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition 2010 (ADIHEX) and Wathba Stud Farm also supporting the event.

james@khaleejtimes.com