Racing in Abu Dhabi

ARABIAN HORSE WORLD

The $1,272,000 ARABIAN HORSE WORLD Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan

Al Nahyan Jewel Crown

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Photos by Debbie Burt

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H Sheikh Mansoor bin Zayed Al Nahyan is the driving force behind the launch of the Sheikh Zayed Jewel Crown, the richest Arabian race in the world, and the first big race of the Abu Dhabi season.

The race program is directed by Lara Sawaya, who oversees Sheikh Mansoor’s racing promotions throughout the world, including the resurgence of the Darley Awards in Los Angeles in recent years.

The Sheikh Zayed Jewel Crown was part of a weekend of festivities, November 6-8 in Abu Dhabi for Arabian racing participants and enthusiasts through the HH Sheikh Mansoor bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival. The weekend included a conference on racing topics and social 198 ▪ ARABIAN HORSE WORLD ▪ DECEMBER 2015

events incorporating the history of Abu Dhabi. The November 8 racing program at Abu Dhabi was more than racing, with pageantry befitting a world-class sporting event.

Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the Sheikh Zayed Jewel was its immediate global reach. The winner of the richest race for Arabian racehorses was bred in Florida, owned by a Qatari, and trained and ridden by French horsemen. Every major region of Arabian racing was represented in some way — the United States, Europe, and the Gulf.

In the $1,272,000 Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Jewel Crown in Abu Dhabi on November 8, Kalino (Kaolino x Virlaxy by *Virgule Al Maury) was brilliant, displaying the best performance of his career at an important time. He won the richest race in Arabian racing history in thrilling fashion, holding off Sahabba.

The $1,272,000 Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Jewel Crown b y

S t e v e

A n d e r s e n

Photos by Debbie Burt

H

H Sheikh Mansoor bin Zayed Al Nahyan is the driving force behind the launch of the Sheikh Zayed Jewel Crown, the richest Arabian race in the world, and the first big race of the Abu Dhabi season.

The race program is directed by Lara Sawaya, who oversees Sheikh Mansoor’s racing promotions throughout the world, including the resurgence of the Darley Awards in Los Angeles in recent years.

The Sheikh Zayed Jewel Crown was part of a weekend of festivities, November 6-8 in Abu Dhabi for Arabian racing participants and enthusiasts through the HH Sheikh Mansoor bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival. The weekend included a conference on racing topics and social 198 ▪ ARABIAN HORSE WORLD ▪ DECEMBER 2015

events incorporating the history of Abu Dhabi. The November 8 racing program at Abu Dhabi was more than racing, with pageantry befitting a world-class sporting event.

Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the Sheikh Zayed Jewel was its immediate global reach. The winner of the richest race for Arabian racehorses was bred in Florida, owned by a Qatari, and trained and ridden by French horsemen. Every major region of Arabian racing was represented in some way — the United States, Europe, and the Gulf.

In the $1,272,000 Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Jewel Crown in Abu Dhabi on November 8, Kalino (Kaolino x Virlaxy by *Virgule Al Maury) was brilliant, displaying the best performance of his career at an important time. He won the richest race in Arabian racing history in thrilling fashion, holding off Sahabba.

Kalino is capable of running first or nearly last, and can produce such diverse results in consecutive starts. At times, Kalino has been a puzzle for trainer Alban de Mieulle of France. At times, he has been the finest racehorse in one of the best stables in the world.

“We knew he had ability to win races at this level, but at times he didn’t live up to that potential,” de Mieulle said.

Left: Lara Sawaya, director of the Sheikh Mansoor bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival, talks with jockey Olivier Peslier.

Below: Kalino (Kaolino x Virlaxy by *Virgule Al Maury), winner of the $1,272,000 Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Jewel Crown, ridden by Olivier Peslier, for owner HH Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa Al Thani of Umm Qarn Stud, Qatar, and trained by Alban de Mieulle of France. Also pictured is second place finisher Sahabba (Nizam x Djesabelle by Dormane).

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Above and right: Kalino, pictured above with Sami Al Boanian, Chairman of IFAHR, left; trainer Alban de Mieulle and Patricia Musal, right; and jockey Olivier Peslier, up.

The potential has been realized. Kalino will be remembered as the first winner of a race that was a year in the making, from an announcement last winter of its lucrative purse to its presence as a year-end goal on the calendar for European-based runners.

For runners in the United Arab Emirates, the race came at the start of their seasons, which will continue with top-class Arabian racing in Abu Dhabi and Dubai through the end of March.

Kalino races for HH Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa Al Thani.

A six-year-old in 2015, Kalino was bred in Florida by Loren Nichols, who is retired from an active role in Arabian racing.

Nichols was honored with the Darley Award as the outstanding breeder in the United States in 2006. He bred, owned, and trained Arabian racehorses in the 1990s and 2000s through his Trackside Farm, winning stakes throughout the nation.

Kalino has not raced in the United States, but has run in France, Qatar, England, and the United Arab Emirates. Kalino was a winner in France as a four-year-old in 2013, and a minor stakes winner in Qatar in the winter of 2013-14, in the Derby Trial in late 2013. He struggled in leading races at that time, finishing second in the Qatar Derby and only eighth of 11 in the Group 1 Emir’s Sword in February, 2014, one of the top races of the year in the world.

Kalino had a brief 2014 campaign in France, finishing second to Al Mourtajez in the Group 1 Doha Cup at Deauville in August, but only 18th in the Qatar Arabian World Cup at Longchamp in October. He didn’t race again until August 2015, when he was sixth in the Qatar International Stakes at Goodwood Racecourse in England, a performance followed by a 19th in the Qatar Arabian World Cup in October.

That was the backdrop for Kalino’s entry in the field of 15 in the Sheikh Zayed Jewel Cup. There was no betting on the 200 b ARABIAN HORSE WORLD b DECEMBER 2015

So Big Is Better (Burning Sand x WW Mirror Image) was one of the dominant runners in the United States through 2015, but had rough trip in the Sheikh Zayed Jewel Crown when his saddle slipped shortly after the start.

Another well-known American horse who made the trip to Abu Dhabi was RB Rich (TH Richie x Royale Fanfare), owned

by Garrett and Lisa Ford of Durango, Colorado.

Lara Sawaya, center, with the group of apprentice jockeys.

race. Had there been, Kalino would have been a longshot. This was the first time that Peslier had ridden Kalino since the 2014 Qatar Arabian World Cup. Kalino was near the front at the start of the race at 1,600 meters on turf, or a mile. Peslier had Kalino stalking pacesetter Manark for the first half-mile before engaging the leader and taking to the front with more than a quarter-mile to run.

Kalino’s lead was tenuous in the final furlong. Sahabba (Nizam x Djesabelle by Dormane) closed well and got alongside Kalino in the final strides. Kalino held his advantage by the narrowest of margins, winning by a nose over the five-year-old mare.

“The horse was very brave,” Peslier said. “He was tiring at the end, but found just enough. This is a great result for Qatar, Alban, and the whole team. He is a very good trainer who knows which horses will be suited to which races.”

De Mieulle said he went with Peslier because of the success the two had enjoyed in the past. “He was told to keep the horse close to the leaders and he rode a perfect race,” he said.

De Mieulle is unlikely to send Kalino back to the Qatar World Arabian Cup at 2,000 meters, or 11/4 miles, or races at that distance in the near future. Kalino seems best suited to action at a mile or so.

“We knew he had the ability to win races at this level but for some strange reason he didn’t live up to that potential,” De Mieulle said. “We booked Olivier because we have regularly engaged his services and won a lot of races with him. Tonight he was told to keep his horse close with the leaders and he rode a perfect race.”

We knew he was a quality horse, but on the day of the Qatar Arabian World Cup the distance was maybe a bit long,” de Mieulle said.

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He added that the conditions at Longchamp may not have suited Kalino, who prefers a softer turf course. For the Sheikh Zayed Jewel Cup, de Mieulle fitted Kalino with sheepskin cheekpieces to keep his mind on racing. The turf course was rated as “good” at Abu Dhabi for the Sheikh Zayed Jewel Crown.

Sahabba races for Jean-Marc de Watrigant and is trained by his brother, Damien. Sahabba was 11th in the Qatar Arabian World Cup at Longchamp on October 4.

The list of runners behind Kalino and Sahabba are a remarkable group, including a few well-known American runners.Third-place finisher Thakif (Mahabb x Sheena by Djelfor) won the Group 1 National Day Cup at Abu Dhabi in December 2014. Thakif races for Sheik Mansoor bin Zayed Al Nahyan and trainer Nacer Samiri.

The $40,871 Apprentice Jockey Championship was run at 2,200 meters, or 13/8 miles on turf, and was won by AK Adour (Akbar x Petite Class by Barour de Cardonne), who was ridden by Ben Thompson of Australia.

Faisal Al Rahmani, the owner of AK Adour.

Abhaar was fourth, followed by Abu Alabyad, Al Mouhannad, Al Janoob, RB Frynch Broad, So Big Is Better, Manark, Athlete Del Sol, RB Rich, AF Sanadek, Voyou De Faust and Paddy’s Day. Shateh was withdrawn at the start after becoming upset in the starting gate.

So Big Is Better and Paddy’s Day were two of the dominant runners in the United States through 2015, but had rough trips in the Sheikh Zayed Jewel Crown. So Big Is Better’s saddle slipped shortly after the start. Paddy’s Day bumped with a rival at the start, compromising his chances. So Big Is Better, the winner of two stakes in the fall, had not raced on turf since 2008. The Sheikh Zayed Jewel Crown was the first career start on turf for Paddy’s Day, a seven-time stakes winner in 2015.

The Sheikh Zayed Jewel Crown was the final race of a seven-race program that included two other stakes for Arabians — the Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Apprentice Jockey Championship and the Sheikh Fatima Ladies World Championship for female jockeys.

The $40,871 Apprentice Jockey Championship was run at 2,200 meters, or 3 1 /8 miles on turf, and was won by AK Adour (Akbar x Petite Class by Barour de Cardonne), who was ridden by Ben Thompson of Australia. The winner of 65 races in that country, Thompson, 17, guided AK Adour to a win by 11/4 lengths over Haanoof.

AK Adour races for Faisal Al Rahmani and trainer Ahmed Al Mehairbi. The Apprentice Jockey Championship was the first win for AK Adour since a minor race in Abu Dhabi last March.

“The trainer warned me I would have to work quite hard and push the horse,” Thompson said. “It proved the case, but I was prepared. It is great to even be here on such an occasion.

To win is just fantastic.”

The Swiss jockey Astrid Wullschleger won the $54,495 Ladies World Championship at a mile on Najm Alemarat (Dormane x Fryga by Wielki Raz), the latest in a string of three consecutive wins for the six-year-old gelding who races for Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the president of the United Arab Emirates.

Wullschleger, who rides professionally in Switzerland, guided Najm Alemarat to a win by 11/4 lengths over Haizoom.

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Najm Alemarat has bloodlines familiar to American Arabian racing fans. Fryga was a four-time winner of Darley Awards, gaining honors as the champion threeyear-old filly of 1990, champion fouryear-old filly of 1991 and champion older mare of 1993 and 1995.

Wullschleger intended to put Najm Alemarat on the lead, but opted to stalk the pace. “They went very fast early on, so I was happy to be patient,” she said. “It worked out perfectly.”

Steve Andersen is a correspondent for Daily Racing Form.

The Swiss jockey Astrid Wullschleger won the $54,495 Ladies World Championship at a mile on Najm Alemarat (Dormane x Fryga by Wielki Raz).

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