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Muscat to host first Shaikha Fatima race

The Al Rahba Racecourse in Muscat, Oman, will host the first race in the HH Shaikha Fatima bint Mubarak Ladies World Championship (IFAHR) series on Friday, January 15, to kick-start the 2016 HH Shaikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival, a Press release said.
The Festival is held under the directives of Shaikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs.
Lara Sawaya, executive director of the HH Shaikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival, chairperson of International Federation of Horse Racing Academies (IFHRA), and chairperson of Ladies and Apprentice Racing Committees in the International Federation of Arabian Horse Racing Authorities (IFAHR), made the announcement during a joint Press conference with the Oman racing authorities in Muscat.
The draw for the 10 entries in the HH Shaikha Fatima bint Mubarak Ladies World Championship (IFAHR) race was held with Hamad Sultan Saif Al Suwaidi, UAE Ambassador to Oman, Lara Sawaya, Muneera Al Marzouqi, commercial manager of the National Feed and Flour Production Company, Brigadier Abdul Raziq Al Shahurzi, commander of the Oman Royal Cavalry and other officials in attendance.
"Sports in general receives the support of the wise leadership and the festival usually kicks off its events from Muscat and tours the world," Saif Al Suwaidi, UAE Ambassador to Oman, said at the Press conference.
Sawaya said: "Under the directives of Shaikh Mansour, horses from Oman or horses owned by Omani owners will be invited for the Euro1.2m Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Crown Jewel (Group 1) in Abu Dhabi, subject to the clearance of the racing authorities in the UAE.
"The first catalog about the stallions of the Wathba Stud Farm has been released including Munjiz and Mahaab. The home of the Wathba Stallions will be at the Eastern Mangroves Hotel in Abu Dhabi. The contact numbers are published in the catalog."
The HH Shaikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival has chalked out an impressive programme of events in 2016 with 81 countries around the globe are likely to stage 106 events in the calendar year. "All apprentice jockeys who are involved in the Festival's races shall comply with the weights stipulated by the world governing body."
of racing, provided that the respective Jockey Clubs must nominate the most deserving apprentices for the Festival's races," Sawaya said.
The HH Shaikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival is also supported by Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority and coordinated by Abu Dhabi Sports Council.