In an exciting race dominated until the seventh furlong by Gwan AJR, the gray five-year-old Clapton AJR shines once again and takes his seventh victory and third in the UAE President Cup South America Mondial Brazil, Saturday 9 September, at the Hippodrome of Cidade Jardim, Jockey Club de São Paulo.
The UAE President Cup Series for Colts & Fillies II Award, which had the participation of six animals (three males and three females) was contested over 1,600 meters on turf for males and females 3-year-old and older.
While Gwan AJR (All Pol Rach x Greece AJR by Second Chall) remained in the lead with Clapton AJR (Mared Al Sahra x Cowboys Gal by Wiking) in second place, RG EL Bak (Karat x *Endora by Wojslaw) and Normandia Rach (*Uzbek Du Lion x Novella Rach by Voltaire Rach) the last in the race begin a sensational recovery.
In the final 150 meters, Clapton AJR, RG El Bak and Normandia Rach attack from the outside and advance. In the final 50 meters, Clapton AJR, ridden by Antonio Mesquita, dominates the race followed closely by RG El Bak with jockey Idevaldo Silva, while Normandia Rach ridden by apprentice jockey Gabriel Santana attacks from the outside to try for third place.
Under a strong attack from RG El Bak, Clapton AJR crossed first with a ¾ length advantage and, in this way, confirmed his favoritism and achieved his seventh victory in 10 races, with three second places.
Jockey Antonio Mesquita said: “Because I was the heaviest jockey in the race, weighing 64 kg, I spared Clapton and waited for the exact moment to attack, but always keeping an eye on RG El Bak who was very eager to win. As I know Clapton AJR very well, I was sure we would win, despite it being a very close race.”
“With this victory, Clapton AJR equals Menthor Rach with seven victories in addition to winning three UAE President Cup South America Mondial Brazil races this year. By the end of the month we will have another Grand Prix and we will try for our eighth victory to equal the great Atentaddo VE, which is the leader in Arabian horse racing statistics in Brazil”, declared breeder and owner Almir José Ribeiro.
Trainer Oberdan S. Pereira commented: “Today we had a very competitive race, with Gwan AJR dominating in the 1,400 meters. But I was confident that Mesquita, who has already ridden and won with Clapton AJR, would seek this victory again. We had a very strong attack from RG El Bak, who is a horse that likes longer distances, but we managed to achieve our seventh victory.”
Racing Director of Arabian Horse Breeders Brazilian Association (ABCCA), Almir José Ribeiro said: “Today we had an exciting and closely contested race with winning animals. We are in the fourth year of sponsorship and with more than 30 races held at the UAE President Cup South America Mondial Brazil. We have veteran animals competing at longer distances and a new generation for 2024 that has already arrived at the São Paulo Jockey Club and should debut from October this year.”
“On behalf of ABCCA and Brazilian breeders, I want to thank once again our sponsors who believed in Arabian horse racing in Brazil, HH Sh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President and Deputy Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, Minister of the Presidential Court and Chairman of the Emirates Racing Authority; and HE Faisal Al Rahmani, President of the International Federation of Arabian Horse Racing (IFAHR) and General Direc-tor of the UAE President Cup.”
