Manama : In the presence of His Highness Lieutenant General Shaikh Mohammed bin Isa Al Khalifa, Commander of the National Guard, and His Highness Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, First Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports (SCYS), President of the General Sports Authority (GSA), and President of the Bahrain Olympic Committee (BOC), and His Highness Shaikh Isa bin Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Isa bin Salman Education Charitable Trust, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Labour Fund (Tamkeen), and Chairman of the Rashid Equestrian and Horseracing Club (REHC) High Committee, and His Highness Shaikh Faisal bin Rashid bin Isa Al Khalifa, Vice President of the Supreme Council for Environment, Deputy Chairman of the REHC High Committee, and Member of the SCYS, the REHC held the National Day Horseracing Festival at its racecourse in Raffa, Sakhir.
The National Day Horseracing Festival, organised by REHC, on Thursday and Friday, December 12 and 13, features the seventh and eighth races of this season. The festival celebrates the Kingdom of Bahrain’s national holidays and the anniversary of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa’s accession as well as the accompanying national occasions.
The first day of the festival was also attended by a number of Their Highnesses, prominent figures, sponsor’s representatives as well as a large audience of equestrian sport enthusiasts, all of whom enjoyed the accompanying events that contributed to a special and festive atmosphere.
Winners of the cups were announced, and His Highness Shaikh Salman bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, Vice President of the GSA, presented the fourth, sixth and eighth rounds trophies of the GSA Cups to the winning jockey Seamie Heffernan, HH Shaikh Sultan Al Deen bin Mohammad bin Salman Al Khalifa and the winning owner Ahmed Al Sadah, respectively.
Meanwhile, Dr. Abdulrahman Askar, CEO of the GSA, presented the seventh round trophy of the GSA Cup to the winning owner Abdullah Sami Nass, while Dr. Faisal Kanoo, BOD Member of the BOC, presented the third and ninth rounds’ trophies of the BOC Cups to Shaikh Duaij bin Salman bin Mubarak Al Khalifa and the winning owner Abdullah Fawzi Nass, respectively.
The opening day of the National Day Horseracing Festival featured a unique celebration of both national pride and sporting excellence at the REHC. The audience enjoyed a variety of events, including exciting competitions and awards, which created a vibrant and festive atmosphere infused with the sense of national pride.
The festival will continue on Friday, December 13, with the eighth race starting at 3:30 pm, which will be held over the Cups of HH Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, First Deputy Chairman of the SCYS, President of the GSA, and President of the BOC, and his sons HH Shaikh Faisal bin Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, HH Shaikh Abdulla bin Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, HH Shaikh Nasser bin Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa and HH Shaikh Salman bin Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa in addition to the National Day Cup (sponsored by the Ministry of Information Affairs).
The seventh race, featured as part of the National Day Horseracing Festival events, saw thrilling competition over the Cups of the GSA and the BOC and showcased a select group of top-tier horses, all with exceptional levels of performance.
