The Group 3 race was run over a distance of 1,900 metres for a prizemoney of €25,000 and the winning horse is owned by Qatar’s Shaikh Abdullah bin Khalifa Al Thani. Lillij Ann finished ahead of another favourite Ameretto to secure second place.

The day also featured the Festival’s Wathba Stud  Farm Cup VI and Ijad owned by Shaikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, was brilliantly ridden by Charles Nora to register his maiden win. Ijad was followed by Shrek OA and Shakia Dormalain second and third places respectively.

Prizes were distributed by Eisa Al Hammadi, third secretary at the UAE Embassy in The Hague along with Lara Sawaya, director of the Shaikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Racing Festival and head of IFAHR ladies racing; Abdullah Al Muhairi, manager (PR) Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority; Abdulrahim Al Hashimi of the UAE’s General Women’s Union; and WJ Ruiter, president, Dutch Arabian Racing Corporation (DARC).

Eisa Al Hammadi said: “We thank Shaikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential  Affairs for staging these races in The Netherlands.  There is a large presence of Purebred Arabian horses in the country and this move will help boost Arabian racing both in this part of the world as well as in Europe.”

“It is encouraging to see high quality Arabian race horses are competing here and many people are showing interest  in knowing more about the UAE as a result of the success of the Festival and it is a very good development,” said the diplomat.

Lara Sawaya congratulated Shaikh  Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Qatar’s Shaikh Abdullah bin Khalifa Al Thani for their horses winning the races here.

She also said the number of races in the HH Shaikha Fatima bint Mubarak World Ladies Championship has been increased to 12 from 10 with San Francisco hosting its debut race in 2013. The race series will return to Duindigt race course in the Netherlands where it made its debut in 2011.

Sawaya also sai: “The details of France’s first ever HH Shaikha Fatima bint Mubarak World Ladies Championship race to be staged on September 1 in Craon, will be announced at a Press conference in Paris on August 30.

Abdulla Al Muhairi said: “The success of the Festival’s activities would not have succeeded or realised any development or continuity without the personal and tangible support of Shaikh Mansour.”

“We have already seen the success Shaikh Zayed Cup held earlier this year and this race will be a complement to that and The Netherlands has strong base of Arabian horse. The  announcement of the HH Shaikha Fatima Bint Mubarak EARS (European Association of Racing Schools) Conference on Education and Training in Abu Dhabi in 2013 is a good addition to the Festival’s activities.”

Sunday’s race  was the seventh race of the Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Cup series and the next stop is of Warsaw, Poland on August  26 followed by Craon, France on September 1.

The Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Flat Racing Festival is organised to promote purebred Arabians in different parts of the world with the sponsors being by the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority and co-ordinated by Abu Dhabi Sports Council in association with Emirates Racing Authority, IFAHR and Emirates Arabian Horse Society, supported by General Authority for Youth and Sports and Fegentri with Emirates airlines as the official carrier and sponsored by Invest AD, Al Rashid Investment, Areej Al Ameerat, Mauzan, Al Awani General Enterprises, Kabale, the UAE’s General Women’s Union, the Shaikha Fatima bint Mubarak Ladies Sports Academy, Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition 2012, Wathba Stud Farm and Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club.

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