News From UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Arabian Jockey Club

AURORA, CO – It was truly “Paddys Day” under the lights of the famous Churchill Downs twin spires Saturday night, September 24th for the running of the President of the UAE Cup Sponsored by the Abu Dhabi Sports Council.

In a field of nine entries considered by most to represent the best Arabian racehorses in the United States, the 5-year-old Paddys Day (Burning Sand x AK Loretta, by Virguile Al Maury) won convincingly – exonerating his loss by a head the week prior – under the expert riding of hall of fame jockey Calvin Borel, who just recently came out of retirement to return to racing. The win marked Borel’s first stakes win since coming out of retirement to return to racing. The legendary horse and rider were alone on the home stretch, winning over eight lengths ahead of second-place horse Thess is Awesome. RB Mademoiselle finished third.

“He’s got such a great mind,” said Lori Powell, who owns Paddys Day with her husband/trainer Scott Powell of Quarter Moon Ranch. “He can handle anything. He loves this type of track. This is the type of climate he’s used to. I really had a feeling this was going to be a landmark race for him tonight. And it was. We couldn’t be happier.

“He’s like a little Thoroughbred,” Borel said. “He’d put me in a spot every time I’d ask him. Very athletic. Didn’t break as sharply as I thought he would. But once I got rolling, I just picked my spot and he took me there like a good horse.”

It was the flagship race of the card on Churchill Down’s popular “Downs After Dark”, one of their most popular events of the year featuring night racing, activities surrounding this year’s “Bowties, Bourbon & Bets” theme, and a live concert from Linkin Bridge, the trendy band made famous on “America’s Got Talent.”

The President of the UAE Cup began in 1992, and was the first series to visit France, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Ireland, Morocco, Egypt, Canada, Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark, Turkey, UAE, Russia, and the United States. In fact, Saturday’s race marks the twelfth time it has been run in America, with plans to return again in 2017.

The Arabian Jockey Club streamed LIVE from Churchill Downs on Saturday, including finish line views of the race and behind-the-scenes access with key leaders, trainers, jockeys and horses. All coverage is now posted on the Arabian Jockey Club Facebook page (www.Facebook.com/theajclub).

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The Arabian Jockey Club is a nationally chartered non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion & education of the Arabian racing industry in the United States, and serves at the U.S. representative to the International Federation of Arabian Horse Racing. For more information, visit www.ArabianRacing.org

- Evie Tubbs Sweeney , Posted on 28 September 2016