Close contest likely in Wathba Cup in California

Abu Dhabi: Jucy Pickins and NC Casey Jones are expected to be involved in a close battle for supremacy in today’s HH Shaikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Flat Racing Festival’s Wathba Stud Farm Cup in Fresno, California.

The Diana Skinner-trained Jucy Pickins will be ridden by Dionicio Navarro in the six-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 smaller tracks and racing venues.

NC Casey Jones is one of the two runners from trainer Leisa Besler’s yard and has a lot of experience as a nine-year-old. He will be ridden by Hugo Herrera.

Five other runners are also in the fray.

Burning Speed NKP and La Jest A Flash also come in to the race 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 Lara Sawaya, Director of the HH Shaikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Flat Racing Festival and head of IFAHR ladies racing.

The HH Shaikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Flat Racing Festival is organised by the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority and coordinated by Abu Dhabi Sports Council in association with Emirates Racing Authority, IFAHR and the Emirates Arabian Horse Society. It is supported by the General Authority for Youth and Sports and Fegentri with Emirates airlines as the official carrier. Leading sponsors include Invest AD, Al Rashid Investment, Areej Al Ameerat, Mauzan, AlAwani 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 2013, Wathba Stud Farm and Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club.