Abu Dhabi: Piawella, ridden by Sergei Wasiutow, won the Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Flat Racing Festival’s Wathba Stud Farm Cup race held in Warsaw, Poland on Sunday evening.
Trained by Dorota Kaluba the three year old stayed in the rear for most of the race, but once approaching the final two furlongs, Wasiutow brought Piawella to the front and after that it was a one-horse race.
The 1,800-metre race attracted seven of Poland’s top three year olds and after Otava did the early running it was Cejlonka which hit the front on the home straight, but once Piawella made the move there was only one winner. The winning time was 2 minutes 10.9 seconds and the winning distance was five lengths.
A large band of racing fans watched the race organised by the Shaikh Mansour Festival in association with the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage in collaboration with the Abu Dhabi Sports Council and other UAE organisations.
Asim Mirza Al Rahma, UAE Ambassador to The Netherlands, and Moataz Al Fahim, Consul of the UAE in Poland, along with Lara Sawaya, Director of the Festival, and UAE officials Mussalam Al Ameri, Abdullah Al Khoory, Abdullah Al Rashidi and Ali Khalfan Al Jahouri took part in the prize distribution ceremony after the race.
Strong relations
Al Rahma said: “The selection of Poland as a venue to stage this race reflects the strong relations that the UAE and Poland enjoy. Poland has a rich history of Arabian race horses and such races will strengthen the bond between the peoples of the two countries.”
Lara Sawaya said: “We will now be moving to Sweden for the Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Cup race and there we will be making another important announcement regarding the Festival’s activities.”
The Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Flat Racing Festival races are staged with the support of Invest AD, Areej Al Ameerat, La Sirene, the UAE’s General Women’s Union, Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition 2011, Wathba Stud Farm and Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club.
