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Arabian fillies to take the field on Nov 8 EEF plans series to boost the breed In response to the tremendous rise in the local breeding scene for Purebred Arabian horses, the Emirates Equestrian Federation has decided to launch a series in the 2009-10 UAE racing season which starts in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, November 8. The races are held under the patronage of His Excellency Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, Chairman of Emirates Equestrian Federation, who wants to give a further fillip to the Pure-bred Arabian horse racing in the region. The inaugural 1,300-metre race exclusively for three-year old maiden fillies, has a good field of 14 runners and will start at 5 pm on a day packed with other exciting races. The prize money on offer is Dh 35,000. Already Abu Dhabi has made a name for itself as a racing centre that concentrates and promotes Purebred Arabian racing and some of the world’s richest Purebred Arabian horse races are being held here for nearly two decades now. Some of the world’s top Purebred Arabian horses do race in the highly-competitive Group races, while there are many other races only for locally-bred horses. However many UAE owners and breeders of Arabian horses in the country feel they do not have enough opportunities to run their three-year-old and four-year-old Purebred Arabian horses. “The UAE has seen a huge rise in the number of UAE nationals getting involved with horse racing, particularly with Purebred Arabians which is part of our culture and heritage,” said Taleb Dhaher Al Muhairi, Secretary General of the Emirates Equestrian Federation. “Starting from November 8, the EEF has planned to stage races for three-year-old Purebred Arabian horses that have been bred locally in the UAE. This will be another major step in supporting and giving an opportunity to the owners, breeders and trainers of these locally bred horses,” Al Muhairi said. "And thanks to His Excellency Sheikh Sultan bin Khalifa, the dreams of the local breeders of Arabian horses will come to fruition soon." “The Federation has for nearly two decades been supporting the Purebred Arabian racing by staging such races in many famous race courses around the world. While this has helped many owners to take to this noble breed of horses around the world, we have also noticed a remarkable increase in the interest for the Purebred Arabians here in the UAE,” he said. “Some of the locally bred horses like Dynamite have won Group 1 races and this has proved that the local breeding is of a high standard. We feel this new race series will help and encourage the owners of Purebred Arabian horses and give them enough chances to race and help their horses graduate to races of higher status,” Al Muhairi said.   View Photo 1View Photo 2View Photo 3View Photo 4