Amateurs get another boost with five races having been scheduled for next year.

The Hague While two lady jockeys from the UAE are all set to make their flat-racing debut, amateurs received a further boost when the Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Racing Festival announced five races for next year in the Her Highness Shaikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Fegentri Cup.

Fatima Al Merri and Shathra Al Hajjaj will be off to a great start as amateur jockeys tomorrow when the richest race in the Ladies Fegentri series will be staged here at the Duindigt race course.

Benefits
Fatima and Shathra will be joined by Fatima Al Manji and Azhar Al Wardi from Oman and Qatar’s experienced Khadija Al Bastaki as 11 riders, including last year’s Ladies Fegentri Cup world champion Tina Henriksson from Sweden, take part in the 1,900 metre race with a prize fund of €20,000.

Speaking during yesterday’s World Arabian Racing Conference, Lara Sawaya, Director of the Shaikh Mansour Festival, said, “This year we are starting with a race here in Holland and one more in Abu Dhabi. These races are being staged with support from the Emirates Women’s Union, and we are looking at five races next year.

“The whole idea of increasing the prize money is to ensure that owners and trainers take these races seriously and enter good horses. This in turn will be a huge boost to the lady amateur jockeys who will benefit tremendously by racing top horses.”

Jockeys competing in Fegentri (Federation Internationale des Gentlemen-Riders et des Cavalières) races come from varied backgrounds and all have a full-time profession. They are all “amateurs” and therefore do not receive any fee for riding in races.