Close contest likely in Wathba Cup race in Fresno, California

Jucy Pickins and NC Casey Jones are expected to be involved in a close battle for supremacy in Saturday’s HH Sheikh Mansoor bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Flat Racing Festival’s Wathba Stud farm Cup in Fresno, California.

The Diana Skinner trained Jucy Pickins is a 5-year-old gelding and will be under Dionicio Navarro in the 6-furlong race which is being held here at Fresno for the second successive year as part of the Festival’s series of races to promote Purebred Arabian horse racing at the smaller tracks and racing venues.

NC Casey Jones is one of the two runners from trainer Leisa Besler’s yard and being in a lot of experience as a 9-year-old. NC Casey Jones will be ridden by Hugo Herrera while five other runners are also in the fray.
Burning Speed NKP and La Jest A Flash also come in with some good form while the other runners are French Beat, EC Numero Quest and Striving Forward MKP from trainer Helen Shelley’s yard.

“This is the fifth race in the Wathba Stud Farm Cup that we are staging in California this year and we are very happy with the strong field that has entered. Once again some exciting racing is on the cards and all this augurs well for the future of the Purebred Arabian racing in the US,” said Ms Lara Sawaya, Director the HH Sheikh Mansoor bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Flat Racing Festival and head of IFAHR ladies racing.

The HH Sheikh Mansoor bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Flat Racing Festival is organized 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, AlAwani General Enterprises, Kabale, the UAE’s General Women’s Union, the Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Ladies Sports Academy, Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition 2013,Wathba Stud Farm and Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club.