Arabian racing in UK hailed
UNIQUE COMPETITION HELPS SPREAD AWARENESS OF SPORT
Mirza Al Sayegh has hailed the growth of Purebred Arabian racing in the UK and highlighted the key role played by the media to generate public awareness of the sport in general.
Al Sayegh also applauded the support Arabian racing has received from Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance, through initiatives like the annual Dubai International Arabian Race Day ( DIARD) at Newbury racecourse.
Shaikh Hamdan had also introduced unique awards to reward journalistic excellence in conjunction with the 31st Anniversary of the Dubai International Arabian Race Day earlier this year.
“We value the contribution of the media and are pleased to have this opportunity to recognise the important role played by journalists, broadcasters and photographers in the success of the event,” Al Sayegh said. “We hope you will stay with us for many more years and continue to benefit the Dubai International Arabian Race Day and the sport as a whole.”
Abdullah Al Ansari, Chairman of the panel of judges, said: “We have been absolutely overwhelmed by the response to Shaikh Hamdan’s initiative to reward journalism related to Purebred Arabian racing, in particular. “Besides being flooded with entries we were staggered by the coverage Arabian racing received in the leading newspapers and racing publications based in the UK. “Obviously this attention that the sport has received will go a long way to helping develop public interest, and passion, in Arabian racing.
Freelance journalist Liz Price won the top prize of £ 7,500 ( Dh44,610) for the second time since it was launched in 2009 and which carried a charitable donation of £ 2,000 to the charity or charities of the winner’s choice.
Price said: “I would like to thank Shaikh Hamdan and the Committee for this generous prize but more so for continuing with this competition because it keeps us all on our toes. This competition promotes greater understanding of Arabian racing and I am delighted to have been chosen as the winner.” The Awards ceremony was held last week at the Royal Garden hotel in London and hosted by Al Sayegh in the presence of Shaikh Mohammad Bin Maktoum Al Maktoum, First Secretary to the UAE Embassy.
The competition offered more than £ 20,000 ( Dh118,960) in prize money to be shared among the winners and runners- up in three categories — UK Print Media, Open Category and Best Photograph.
The Open Category was won by Geoffrey Riddle while the inaugural Best Photograph competition was shared by Gavin James and Philip Cannings who won the award for an action photo of the Group 1 Shadwell Hatta International Stakes, the highlight of DIARD at Newbury.