Kair Al Cham overcame a titanic battle with last year’s winner Lightning Bolt to claim the President of the UAE Cup for Purebred Arabians at the Duindigt racecourse in the Netherlands on Sunday.
Jerome Cabre atop Kair Al Cham edged out Lightning Bolt under the seven-time UAE champion jockey Tadhg O’Shea by a quarter length in the €30,000 Group 3 race run over the 2,000-metre distance.
The pair were clear of the third placed Messi ridden by Christoph Dehens a further seven lengths behind in the seven-runner field.
The Dutch leg of the race was the eighth of the world race series, now counting 26 successive years.
Faisal Al Rahmani, Racing Advisor to the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, gave away the prizes to the winners jointly with Yasser Al Shumaily, Deputy Head of the UAE Diplomatic Mission in the Netherlands, Margaret de Reuter, and President of the Arab Horse Federation in the Netherlands, Saeed Al Muhairi, and Abu Dhabi Sports Council’s Representative.
Al Rahmani emphasised the UAE’s vision to promote Arabian races around the globe and the presence they have in some of the world’s most prestigious race meetings.
“Dinged is a very important venue for us and the achievements we have had here has always been overwhelming,” he said.
De Reuter added: “The event presented great opportunities for the Arabian horse owners and breeders in the Netherlands.”
