Over 125 riders for Endurance Cup race in Abu Dhabi

Officials addressing the Press conference. — Supplied photo

Top international riders from the UAE, Europe, Latin America and elsewhere are all out to vie for honours in the 160km CEI His Highness The President of the United Arab Emirates Endurance Cup at the Emirates International Endurance Village here on Saturday morning.

The event is staged under the directives of the President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and General Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and under the supervision of Shaikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs.

“The race is sponsored by the Shaikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Golbal Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival with over 125 riders representing UAE, USA, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Netherlands, Switzerlands, Norway, Belgium, Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia are expected to take part in this prestigious competition,” Adnan Sultan Al Nuaimi, director general of the Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club told newsmen at the the Eastern Mangroves hotel suite 321 HH Shk Mansoor Bin Zayed Festival Lounge on Wednesday.

“The race is open for individuals and teams, and each team will be comprised of four riders.

“The winner will receive Dh300,000 plus a car, the first runner up Dh200,000 plus a car and the second runner up Dh100,000 plus a car. The winning team will receive a car besides a share of the Dh1500,000 prize-money which will be distributed among all the riders who finish the race.

“And in this particular race, 25 horses from outside the UAE have been sanctioned to enter the competition,” he added.

Lara Sawaya, director of the Shaikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival and chairman of the Ladies Racing Committee in the International Federation of Arabian Horse Racing Authorities (IFAHR) commented: “This is a very special championship which is very close to our hearts and emotions. Media representatives from around the globe will be covering the race. The 50 organisers and hosts of the Shaikh Mansour bin Zayed Festival endurance fixtures were also invited besides the 80 guests of the Abu Dhabi Endurance Club to make a total number of 130 top international endurance personalities. The festival is also providing a special gift to the winner of the President Cup, a Rolex that carries the colours and logo of the Shaikh Mansour Festival with the name of the festival also engraved on it. The top five winners will be invited to attend the upcoming World Arabian Horse Conference London 2014, and should a winner or runner up is under age, he will be accompanied by one of his parents. Five or more Business airfares have been provided by the Emirates Airline for this purpose.”