Alibaba del Sol wins Wathba Cup

It took all of 15 races for Alibaba del Sol to score his first win as the French-bred Dutch runner won the fourth race in the Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Flat Racing Festival’s Wathba Stud Farm Cup series being run at the Duindigt racecourse in The Netherlands. In Sunday’s race, which was the fourth Wathba Stud Farm Cup in The Netherlands this year, jockey Raymond Chang steered the seven-year-old son of Kerbella to a fine and encouraging win for owner-trainer Karin van den Bos. Alibaba del Sol finished the 1,800-metre race on turf ahead of the Gerd T Zoetelief-owned bay mare Paramour T under Anthony Deau to finally score his first win in 15 starts. Baloo DA, under Bianca Willemstijn, finished third in a race which is part of a series of races held to encourage owners and trainers of Purebred Arabian horses at grassroots level.“The victory of Alibaba del Sol is what the Global Arabian Flat Racing Festival is all about. The aim of Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, is to give more opportunities to small and private owners the chance to race in the Wathba Stud Farm Cup,” said Lara Sawaya, Director of the Festival and Head of IFAHR Ladies Racing. “This is the fourth race held this year and we have seen an increase in the number of horses taking part,” she added. The Festival is organised by the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority and co-ordinated by Abu Dhabi Sports Council in association with Emirates Racing Association, Emirates Arabian Horse Society and IFAHR, supported by General Authority for Youth and Sports and Fegentri.from gulfnews.com