Gold Coast Turf Club hosts pure pred Arabian racing to attract international exposure

THE Gold Coast Turf Club has harnessed the attention of the international racing scene after hosting the H. H. Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Festival.

Jockey Ben Jewitt rode the Anthony Mountney-trained Reid River R-Mani to victory in the first race of the Wathba Stud Farm Cup event on the Gold Coast. The Cup is part of H. H. Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Festival. Picture: Jessica Hawkins, Trackside Photography.

THE Gold Coast Turf Club could become a permanent fixture in one of the biggest international racing series after hosting the H. H. Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Festival.

Two races of the Wathba Stud Farm Cup were held on the Gold Coast last Saturday as punters witnessed purebred Arabian horses put on a show before the main race card got underway.

The festival’s Australian assistant Nadine Frampton hoped the successful event would help forge a lasting partnership with the club that would open the door for the lucrative racing body to return.

“From what I’ve heard from everyone they are extremely excited and happy with the day and we look forward to hopefully creating something with the Gold Coast Turf Club and Queensland. “It’s not just race day — it helps promote Queensland itself which is beautiful and stunning.”

The Cup specifically supports breeders as one part of the festival that goes across six continents and culminates in a final in Abu Dhabi in November.

Mansoor is also the owner of English Premier League club Manchester City.

Jockey Ben Jewitt rode the Anthony Mountney-trained Reid River R-Mani to victory in the first of the two races while Isabella Teh rode the Michelle Amos-trained Djehlbi to a win in the other.

Mountney is also the racing director of National Arabian Racehorse Association of Australia.

Frampton said the event, put on in conjunction with the turf club, Gold Coast City Council and Equine Solutions, was helping to race the profile of Arabian racing.

“It’s a prestigious race in our eyes because supporting the breeders of Arabian horses is one of our main goals from the festival,” Frampton said.

“It’s mind blowing what they have been able to achieve and where we have all come from to get racing going in Australia and that comes from support.

“Having it in six continents is something they could only have dreamt of originally and knowing now some of these breeders are up against people in Russia and Germany and the UAE is incredible.”

The festival has opened doors for not only breeders but jockeys, in particular female jockeys who have raced around the world in the H.H. Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Apprentice World Championship. Some of these include Australian jockeys Shirley Hunter, Jackie Beriman, Tracey O’Hara and Annelise King.

“It’s about all the breeding coming together the promotion of everything. His honour Sheikh Mansoor has done an incredible thing by giving incentive for everyone to race along with her highness Sheikh Afatama who also does the ladies races and what they have done for females and women in sport,” Frampton said.