The race was part of the big race meeting which also included two Grade 1 races in the name of the King of Kingdom of Bahrain, His Majesty King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa.

Riding 4-year-old Al Saqlawieh 1733 trained by Yousif Al Riffa, Al Busaidi was in great form as he won by two-and-a-half lengths from Krayaan 1706 under Sara Del Fabbro while in third place was Krushan 1710 ridden by Grace McEntee.

Al Busaidi and Al Saqlawieh took a time 1:37.09 for the 7-furlong race and the jockey is the first to book his berth in the November finals of the HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Apprentice World Championship (IFHRA) race series.

Apart from His Majesty King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa, Friday’s race meeting was also attended by His Royal Highness Prince Salman Bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Premier, King’s Representative for Charity Work and Youth Affairs, Chairman of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports and Honorary President of Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation (BREEF) His Highness Sheikh Nasser Bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Chairman of the Supreme Authority of the Rashid Equestrian and Horse Racing Club Sheikh Abdullah Bin Isa Al Khalifa, Deputy Chairman Sheikh Isa bin Salman Bin Hamad Al Khalifa and the UAE’s Ambassador to Bahrain HH Sheikh Sultan Bin Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Ms. Lara Sawaya, Executive Director of the HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival, General Manager of Wathba Stallions, Chairperson of the International Federation of Horse Racing Academies (IFHRA), Chairperson of Ladies & Apprentice Racing Committees in the International Federation of Arabian Horse Racing Authorities (IFAHR) among other VIP guests and officials.

HH Sheikh Sultan Bin Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan said the HH Sheikh Mansoor Festival was one of the most famous equestrian events in the world and thank the leaders of Bahrain for supporting the event.

Ms. Lara Sawaya said the HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Apprentice series was an important element of the HH Sheikh Mansoor Festival and thanked His Highness Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE and Minister of Presidential Affairs and Her Highness Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak, Mother of the Emirates, President of the General Women’s Union, Supreme President of the Family Development Foundation, President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood for their support.

She also thanked the Bahraini authorities for all their support in hosting the HH Sheikh Mansoor Festival event.

The HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival is sustained by the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority and coordinated by Abu Dhabi Sports Council, with National Feed and Flour Production and Marketing Co. LLC as associate sponsors, The National Archives as the official partner and Emirates airline as the official carriers, in cooperation with Emirates Racing Authority, IFAHR, Emirates Arabian Horse Society, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, General Authority of Youth and Sports Welfare and sponsored by Ayadi LLC, Global United Veterinary Services LLC, Wathba Stallions, Abu Dhabi Falconers Club, Emirates Falconers Club, Mohamed Bin Zayed Falconry and Desert Physiognomy School, Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), Al Awani General Enterprises, Kabale, Omeir Travels, Laboratories Fadia Karam Cosmetics, YAS Channel, Racing Post, Paris Turf, Al Wathba Centre, the UAE’s General Women’s Union, The Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, the HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Sports Academy, Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition 2017 and Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club.