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UAE President Cup - UK Arabian Derby
Summer Supplement 2023
T H E A R A B I A N
R A C E H O R S E
The UAE President Cup
UK Arabian Derby
It was fitting that in 2016 the UK Arabian Derby, newly sponsored by the sports oldest Arabian classic series, should relocate to the historic Town Moor racecourse at Doncaster, home of the UK’s oldest thoroughbred classic, the St Leger. Since then, sponsors of the St Leger itself have come and gone, however the UAE President Cup continues to go from strength to strength in its global support of Arabian racing and of the UK Arabian Derby.
The now familiar logo can been seen on many a country’s leading racedays, the opening race of the 2023 series, The President of the UAE Cup – Coupe d’Europe des Cheveaux Arabes (Gr1PA) was held on 14 May at ParisLongchamp on Guineas day for the thoroughbreds. The race was won in a thrilling finish by Ch’ezza, with just a neck
separating him from former UK Derby winner, Abbes. The longevity of Arabian racehorse’s careers and the global nature of the sport means that many of the series races can be contested by the same horses, such as the aforementioned Abbes, or perennial globetrotter Jarif, who won two UAE President Cup’s last year and has already added another this season
When studying the UK edition, it has always been the last opportunity for four-year-old colts, geldings and fillies to exclusively race against each other in Europe at Group 1PA level. A fact not lost on many of their trainers when making their declarations to race It is also encouraging that two runners this year, the strongly fancied Al Doha and her stablemate Ghadah, were supplementary entries, at a cost of £800 per horse
Since the race ’ s arrival at Doncaster, it is interesting to note that it has always been won by the highest rated horse on the card. Whilst this is no surprise when the winner of the French equivalent, the Qatar Arabian Derby des Pur-Sang Arabes is seeking to ‘do the double’, it is significant when the winner of that race chooses as different target, as Al Ghadeer did this year (and in some style, when winning at Goodwood), leaving this opportunity to the other horses of their generation.
Though at the time, it may have seemed disappointing that Abbes won off the lowest mark to date of 112 in 2021, he has since gone on to prove jockey Olivier Peslier right in his post-race observations Peslier noted that, “The horse has now won a Group 1 but has always had a lot of ability. Today it was a good race, he responded to my hands, but he still needs more experience, it will be a good preparation for Longchamp ”
As it turned out, he was no match for Hoggar De L’Ardus at Longchamp that year, finishing fifth and was even more frustrating for connections last year when he was seventh, a fact his current trainer Alban de Mieulle attributed to the very soft ground However he has proved himself of the very highest class on quick, winning several more Group1PA races, including Qatar’s most coveted event, the $2 5 million HH The Amir Sword over 1m4f in February this year.
2023 has been a stellar year for past UAE President Cup – UK Arabian Derby winners as Hayyan, the winner in 2019, put up a superb performance to win Dubai’s top Arabian contest, the $1 million Dubai Kahayla Classic over 1m2f in March on World Cup night. Now eight, Hayyan is another example of how these top-class Arabians can be successful for a variety of trainers and to win throughout the later stages of their careers.
Who knows how good 2020 winner Hattal may have become, had he not sadly lost his life last autumn. One of the four French Derby winners to contest the UK race, the others being Hayyan, Rodess Du Loup and Nafees, he had a stellar pedigree for his owner breeder Sheikh Mansoor and YAS Horseracing Management, being by their top stallion Mahabb, out of Mizzna, their Kahayla Classic wining mare After Doncaster he went on to win three further Group1PA races, including two
Though 2018 winner Rodess Du Loup failed to secure a further top level race after Doncaster, Rajeh who was runner-up, won Round 2 of the Al Maktoum Challenge (Gr1PA) last February in Dubai, and was runner-up to non-other than Hayyan this year. In third at Doncaster was Rijm, who went on to win the French Arabian Breeders Classic (Gr1PA) on his next start and is now a stallion
In 2017 Rodess Du Loup’s trainer, Charles Gourdain gained his first UK Derby success with Nafees. He had had a strenuous campaign as a four-year-old as having won the French Derby in June, he is one of a handful of horses to go to Goodwood to contest the Qatar International Stakes just six weeks later. Finishing fourth in torrential rain behind two of the sports’ giants in Tayf and Ebraz, he bounced back to form at Doncaster to win by two and a quarter lengths from Ahzar. After a break he was prepared for the following year ’ s Kahayla Classic, in which he disappointed, however he was only beaten a neck on reappearance in the 2018 The President of the UAE Cup –Coupe d’Europe des Cheveaux Arabes at Longchamp, in which Doncaster’s first UK Arabian Derby winner, Lightning Bolt was third. Nafees then struck Group 1PA gold again in the UK in Newbury’s Dubai International Stakes and retired to stud thereafter
Some might consider Lightning Bolt a lucky winner of the first UK Arabian Derby under the UAE President Cup sponsorship at Doncaster. Though he was the top rated in the race on 118, and he did go on to win other Group 1PA races, he benefitted from a brilliant ride by Adrie de Vries and the hesitation of the second Tayf at the vital moment, to win by a head. Tayf has since gone on to be the superior horse, winning that epic battle at Goodwood, as well as the 2019 President of the UAE Cup – Coupe d’Europe des Cheveaux Arabes at Longchamp, the Qatar Arabian World Cup at the same track and the Qatar Gold Sword in Doha.
During the race’s history in its current format at Doncaster, the following statistics apply to the winner:
Top rated horse: 6/6
Rated – 118, 117, 114, 116, 115, 112
French Derby winners: 4/4
2017 Nafees, 2018 Rodess Du Loup, 2019 Hayyan, 2020 Hattal
Jockeys:
Tadhg O’ Shea - 2 wins, 4th, 5th [no ride this year]
Olivier Peslier - 1 win, 2nd
Jean Bernard Eyquem – 2nd
Trainers:
Charles Gourdain – 2 wins [no runner this year]
Thomas Fourcy – 1 win, 2nd, 3 x 3rd
Xavier Thomas-Demeaulte – 1 win
Francois Rohaut – 2nd
Philip Collington – 2 x 3rd
Owners:
YAS Horseracing Management – 2 wins, 3rd [no runner this year]
HH Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa Al-Thani – 1 win, 2nd
Al Shaqab Racing – 2nd, 3 x 3rd
Athbah Racing – 4th, 5th
Sires: Munjiz – 2 wins, 2nd
Dahess – 1 win, 2 x 2nd
Azadi – 1 win, 3rd
