Al Mazroui rides Splendacrest Adage to narrow win (Al Marri finishes second for the second time in two days) - HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Racing Festival

After Friday’s 1-2 finish the F3 Endurance Stables had to be content with a 2-3 finish as Saif Ahmed Al Mazroui on Splendacrest Adage from MRM Stables staved off a double challenge to win the HH Sheikh Mansoor bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival’s CEN120-km Emirates Championship (Open) endurance ride at the Emirates International Endurance Village in Al Wathba, Abu Dhabi on Saturday, February 7, 2015.

For Abdulla Ghanim Al Marri it was second time unlucky as the F3 Stables rider once again finished just a second behind the winner like he had on Friday behind Ghanim Saed Salim Aliwaisi on Castlebar Gigolo in the Sheikh Rashid bin Hamdan Al Maktoum Challenge Festival 120-km CEN endurance ride.

HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, HH Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy National Security Advisor and HH Sheikh Mansoor bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential attended the ride.

On Saturday, Al Marri on AS Emponchado finished a second behind Saif Ahmed Al Mazroui on Splendacrest Adage with Salim Said Al Owais on Terminator Te in third, a further one second behind, after a gruelling 120-km contest.

Sheikh Hamed Dalmook Juma Al Maktoum on Carawan finished fourth as the UAE riders dominated while in 5^th and 6^th place were two foreign riders –

Maeva Valentin on Dahoman XI from France and Argentina’s Catalina Bastons on HM Guerrero.

The first six riders were all awarded a 4WD vehicle each for topping the 120-km Emirates Championship which attracted 93 entries for the 4-stage ride. The ride was run in stages of 40kms, 40kms, 20kms and 20kms.

The winner Saif Ahmed Al Mazroui and Splendacrest Adage, a 10-year-old grey gelding trained by Ismail Mohammed, came up with a consistent display despite winning by a narrow one second. The pair finished third after the first 40-kms and after that led in each of the next three stages to complete the 120-km ride in 04hrs 17mins 01secs at an average speed of 28.01 kmph.

Ms Lara Sawaya, Executive Director of the HH Sheikh Mansoor bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival, Chairman of the International Federation of Horse Racing Academies (IFHRA) and Chairman of Ladies & Apprentice Racing Committees in the International Federation of Arabian Horse Racing Authorities (IFAHR) said, “The HH Sheikh Mansoor bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival enters a busy phase now as tomorrow on the snow course in St Moritz in Switzerland nine horses will battle it out for the Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Listed Cup. We also have the meeting of the International Federation of Horse Racing Academies (IFHRA) in Abu Dhabi and next week we have the prestigious HH The President’s Cup 160-km endurance championship here in Al Wathba.”

The HH Sheikh Mansoor bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse 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 Emirates Arabian Horse Society, supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs , the General Authority of Youth and Sports Welfare with The National Archives as the official partner and Emirates airline as the official carriers and sponsored by Invest AD, Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC), Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), Al Awani General Enterprises, Kabale, Al Wathba Centre, the UAE’s General Women’s Union, the HH Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Ladies Sports Academy, Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition 2015, Dr. Nader Saab Switzerland, Al Wathba Center, Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club, Eastern Mangroves Suites-Abu Dhabi by Jannah, Abu Dhabi Sports Channel and Racing Post.

Results (top six) of Emirates Championship, CEN 120 Km Endurance Ride on Saturday 7th February 2015: