Mauro Manueddu rode another perfect race and it was a repeat winning performance by Ameretto as the 7-year-old son of Amer won Sunday’s Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Cup (Group 3) Nagroda Europy and with it emerged as the European Triple Crown champion of the Shaikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival at the Sluzewiec race course in Warsaw, Poland.
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Presentation ceremony of the Shaikha Fatima bint Mubarak Ladies World Championship IFAHR race. — Supplied photo |
After Ameretto’s heroics, Australian lady jockey Danielle Walker held on to win the Shaikha Fatima bint Mubarak Ladies World Championship IFAHR race over 1600-metres on Poranny Blask.
Walker scored one of her biggest win when she staved off a late surge from Echo Ofira under French jockey Caroline Brunaud to score by a short head.
A large crowd enjoyed the warm weather on a Abu Dhabi-backed Arabian race meeting and it was the Dr Paul-Jean Daverio and Manuela Schafenberg owned Ameretto that lived up to its favourite status and apart from winning a part of the Euros 25,000 on offer for the Group 3 feature race, for the second year in a row the connections scooped the Euros 30,000 after winning in Duindigt, The Netherlands and finishing second in Berlin, Germany.
However the connections of Ameretto had to wait quite a while as Piotr Piatkowski under Impact, the horse that finished second had objected to an alleged interference at the start of the 2600-metre race.
But after the Stewards Inquiry, the result stood and Ameretto under the Italian jockey Manueddu scored his 9th career win.
“I am hoping his rating goes up after this win and I am looking to get an invite for him to ruin in the World Championship in France. That would be a great achievement and Ameretto deserves to be there,” said Dr Paul-Jean Daverio.
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Mauro Manueddu rides Ameretto to victory in the Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Cup. — Supplied photo |
Australian lady jockey Walker, who has won a berth in the showdown of the Shaikha Fatima bint Mubarak Ladies World Championship IFAHR to be held in Abu Dhabi, said the Polish horse Poranny Blask was spot on in the race. “This is indeed my biggest win and it is my second race in the Shaikha Fatima series. I just followed the trainer’s instructions to keep him in front and close to the fence and he did the rest,” the 34-year-old, said thanking her family, who own horses and she rides for them.
Asim Mirza Al Rahmah, the UAE’s Ambassador to Poland, Adam Krzymowski, the Polish Ambassador to the UAE, Lara Sawaya, Director of Shaikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat
Racing Festival and Head of International Federation of Arabian Horse Racing Authorities (IFAHR) for Ladies Racing along with officials from the Polish Jockey Club gave away the attractive trophies to the winning connections of the two races.
“We thank the UAE for bringing these two great races to Poland which has a long history of Arabian racing. The Shaikha Fatima bint Mubarak Ladies World Championship IFAHR will be a huge boost to our lady jockeys and their numbers will be boosted by such big races,” said Adam Krzymowski, the Polish Ambassador to the UAE.
The UAE envoy to Poland HE Asim Mirza Al Rahmah highlighted the strong ties between the UAE and Poland and said he was looking forward to the World Arabian Horse Racing Conference in 2015 in Poland.
“With over 5000 racing fans of Arabian horses attending today’s races, it is a positive outcome to the efforts of the Shaikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival,” he said.
“It was a grand finish to the European Triple Crown of the Festival and the Shaikha Fatima bint Mubarak Ladies World Championship IFAHR was such an exciting finish that the lady jockeys proved what they can do if opportunities are given to them. The large tent which gave a glimpse to the Polish fans of the UAE culture also added to the occasion,” said Lara Sawaya, Director of the Festival.