All eyes on RB Burn

abu dhabi — The €1.2m Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Jewel Crown (G1 PA) is the undoubted highlight of Friday’s six-race card at the Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club. Fourteen have been declared, including RB Burn, who was first past the post in the two most recent renewals of the world’s most valuable Purebred Arabian horse race, a press release said.

Contested in its current guise since 2015, the 1600m feature was previously the National Day Cup, which was inaugurated in 1992. Its valuable purse has gained the race much international interest, with only half of the 14 runners this year trained in the UAE.

Local horses include RB Burn who won this race impressively in 2016 for Eric Lemartinel. The 6-year-old was then involved in a titanic struggle with Muraaqib last year when attempting to defend his crown with Gerald Avranche on board, eventually crossing the line a neck ahead. The pair bumped close to the line, necessitating a reversal of placing by the stewards.

Pat Cosgrave, who rode in the Melbourne Cup at Flemington on Tuesday on Godolphin’s Best Solution, takes over in the saddle and is clearly looking forward to it. He said: “Obviously conditions suit him and he seems in good nick at home.”