Shadwell Estate continue their strong support of racing at the Jebel Ali Racecourse by sponsoring all seven races to be held at the venue this Friday.
The meet will also feature the Emirates Horse Breeders Society Plate, a race framed exclusively to encourage the burgeoning UAE Purebred Arabian breeding industry.
Shadwell Estate is owned by Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance and Industry. Shaikh Hamdan is one of the leading patrons of horse breeding in the world.
Announcing Shadwell Estate's sponsorship Mirza Al Sayegh, Director of Shaikh Hamdan's office, said at a press conference yesterday: "Following the instructions of Shaikh Hamdan, Shadwell Estate and Kingwood House Stables has been actively involved in sponsoring races in the UAE and in particular at Jebel Ali racecourse.
"This is the third year that Shadwell Estate has sponsored the Emirates Horse Breeders Society Plate. Shaikh Hamdan is keen to promote and develop the Purebred Arabian breeding industry and to see more races staged for the breed around the UAE. He is also delighted with the response these unique races have enjoyed and has assured his continued support," Al Sayegh added.
Dr Hussain Habib Al Reda, President, Emirates Horse Breeders Society thanked Shaikh Hamdan and Shadwell Estate for their support.
"Events like these would not have been possible without the support and encouragement the Purebred Arabian breeding industry has received from Shaikh Hamdan," he said. "We are extremely grateful for his support which has helped the Emirates Horse Breeders Society to develop and make significant progress."
Highlighting the popularity of the Jebel Ali race meets, Emirates Racing Association's Terry Sprago said: "Statistics provide evidence of just how popular the Jebel Ali Racecourse is.
"Friday's races received a whopping 223 entries while 144 horses then accepted before a maximum 106 have been declared to run in the meet's seven races. Jebel Ali has also attracted international attention with with likes of South Africa's Mike de Kock, Gerard Butler from the UK and France's Rupert Pritchard-Gordon set to have runners."
Shareef Al Halawani, Manager, Jebel Ali Racecourse thanked the sponsors and announced that thousands of prizes will be given away to the public during the meet.
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