Industry News

Nara Australia Features In Ladies In Racing

Ladies in Racing feature Nara Australia along with our partners HH Sheikh Mansoor Global Flat Racing Festival

Hitting News Stands along with covering all the major race tracks .

Nara Australia Wins at the

Prestigous Darley Awards

Milburn learned her passion for racing from her father.

“My father was a racing fanatic and I grew up knowing all the trainers and horses. When I got married, my husband had the same passion for racing and so it was just a natural progression to keep following the gallopers.“

She acquired her first Arabian 35 years ago. “He was a beautiful part bred Arabian and went on to be a supreme champion halter and saddle horse. He was definitely the start of my passion for Arabians. We had this horse for 32 years and he ruled over every horse including the stallions and colts.”

What was the impetus for Milburn’s 20 year battle to re-establish Arabian racing in Australia?

“As far back as the 1980‘s, different groups have been struggling to establish Arabian Racing in Australia. Unfortunately they were all doomed to fail because of the state laws governing horse racing. After reading a magazine article about Arabian racing in the United States, I decided that we also had the right to race our Arabians, so I started investigating what we needed to do this right.”

“When I first started on this path I had no idea of some of the seemingly insurmountable hurdles in front of us. Although Arabians were the first racehorses in Australia, when the English Thoroughbreds started arriving on our shores, the Arabian lost its identity. They were referred to as Purebred Thoroughbreds and then just as Thoroughbreds.”

“Over the years, successive governments in each state have given the Thoroughbred industry almost unlimited power which means that they have the full and total control over horse racing, the race tracks, the trainers, jockeys etc. As Australia does not have privately owned racetracks, this means that we must be accepted by the Thoroughbred industry or we cannot race.”

According to Wikipedia, racing is the third most attended spectator sport in Australia, behind Australian rules football and rugby league. On an international scale, Australia has more racecourses than any other nation, and is second to the United States in the number of horses starting in races each year. Australia is third after the U.S. and Japan for the amount of prize money that is distributed annually. Racing in Australia is synonymous with the country’s history, and there are a huge number of tracks, both large and small. The Melbourne Cup at the end of October is almost a National holiday.

Statistics:

The Australian Thoroughbred Industry is the 3rd largest employer group in the country.

Thoroughbred stats for the racing year 1st August 2010 – 31st July 2011:

· 353 racetracks

· 2641 race meetings run with 18,888 individual races and 190,258 starters

· The total prize money: A$428,339,939 (1 USD= .968 AUD)

· There were 12,971 registrations and a total wagering of A$14,387,790,000

Registered Purebred Arabians:

Australia has a total of 55,043 registered Purebred Arabians and 72,615 derivative Arabians with a total registry of 127,658 Arabians.

Under the steady onslaught of Milburn’s group, in 2005 the Australian Racing Board amended the ruling to allow personnel licensed by the Thoroughbred industry to participate in Arabian racing. Even with the ruling, some states have not complied.

Arabians now have raced at Caulfield and Moonee Valley in Victoria and are now allowed to race at Mornington and Sandown. With the new races there is renewed interest and the group is receiving inquiries from other tracks in the country. In order to grow and thrive, the Arabian races will need more private and corporate participation.

The first Arabian races are being sponsored by the UAE. For the second year, Shadwell has run a race at the Victoria, Caulfield racecourse. In January of 2012, the Moonee Valley racecourse and 20,000 race goers watched the running of the HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies IFAHR Cup, and the H.H. Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Cup, both televised nationally on Australia’s racing channels.

“We have also been given three Al Wathba Cup races,” said Milburn. “We have other races planned for Victoria and are awaiting the go-ahead to commence racing in New South Wales and Queensland.”

“The quest to have Arabian Racing accepted in Australia has taken not only me, but my partner in crime, Virginia Dodson, who is also a NARA director, on a long and difficult road,” she continued. “Along the way we have met some amazing people, made some wonderful friends, and been rewarded and encouraged by the support we have received. Australia is fortunate to have some very unique bloodlines which we know the rest of the world is going to find very interesting.”

Lara Sawaya, Director of the HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival and Head of the International Federation of Arabian Horse Racing Authorities (IFAHR) Ladies Racing, is a strong ally in the fight.

”The fact that Maureen Milburn was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the H.H. Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Darley Awards ceremony in Houston, USA in March 2012, is testimony to the tireless efforts she has exerted in promoting Arabian racing in Australia. In the face of numerous hurdles, Maureen has almost single-handedly fought for the return of Arabian flat racing in Australia. Her contribution to Arabian racing is significant and it was almost a unanimous decision to decorate her with the first ever Lifetime Achievement Award, as the H.H. Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Darley Awards were initiated by the HH Sheikh Mansoor bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Flat Racing Festival to specifically honor women in Arabian racing.”

“We hope Maureen’s efforts, which saw the return of Arabian horse racing to Australia when the first Arabian horse race in more than a decade was at Caulfield in November 2012, will boost the sport Down Under. The Festival of HH Sheikh Mansoor have followed up by staging the first ever H.H. Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies World Championship (IFAHR)race and the Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Cup in Melbourne in January this year. We hope the future of Arabian racing in Australia gets bigger and better.”

Milburn’s dream is taking shape.

Maureen Milburn, Director of the Australian National Arabian Racehorse Association (NARA) received the Lifetime Achievement Award for her decades-long work to re-establish Arabian horse racing in Australia.

June 6, 2012 Berlin ~ The 3rd edition of the World Arabian Horse Racing Conference Germany 2012 was held at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Berlin from June 7 to 9. The three-day event was held under the umbrella of the HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Flat Racing Festival and culminated with the Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Cup and HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies World Championship at the Hoppegarten Racecourse.

“We are honored to host this international gathering which aims at promoting the Arabian horse, this noble creature that represents our culture, heritage, history and identity,” said the UAE ambassador to Federal Republic of Germany Mohammed Ahmed Al Mahmoud at the UAE embassy in Berlin. “The initiative which was brought by the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan was a dream that came true thanks to the vision of HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs,” he told newsmen. “The brilliant idea to support and encourage Arabian horse breeders and owners within the UAE and worldwide has always been the driving force behind the progress which has been achieved.

Lara Sawaya, director of the HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Flat Racing Festival and head of the Women Races at IFAHR said: “We have come here to share opinions. Everything and each single topic is open for discussion with the utmost degree of transparency and clearness. The conference has grown bigger and the numbers of guests and speakers have increased from 70 in the first edition in Abu Dhabi to 110 in The Hague in the second one. Right now, there are 160 guests and speakers in the current edition.

“Under the directives of HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak, Mother of the UAE and Mother of the Nation, and the vision of HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, we are revamping all resources to support the women racing around the globe and the clubs which encourage them by providing all assistance and support which they need to show their talent in the sport.

“The jockeys are invited this time to make their point. People talk about the horse but they have never touched the problems and requirements of the man or woman onboard. UAE top jockey Ahmed Ajtebi along with other jockeys will make this point in a special chapter which has been added to the programme. “All the equine community comes under one roof. The breeders, owners, trainers, jockeys, experts, veterinarians, horse lovers and racing fans will be availed the opportunity to meet together and talk to each other in a healthy and wide open atmosphere.”

Sami Al Boueinen, chairman of IFAHR hailed the initiative of Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and thanked him on behalf of his organisation saying that the Fegentri races are making good ground and the support of the festival has made things easier for them all. “We don’t interfere with the races because the Fegentri have their own systems, but our job is to support the Arabian horse and for this reason we help them,” he said.

Abdulla Al Qubaisi, director of the Communications at the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority said: “We would like to thank HH Sheikh Mansoor for his initiative which made it possible for us to promote the Arabian horse which is part of our culture, traditions and identity.”

The same opinion was echoed by Esam Abdulla, chairman of the Emirates Arabian Horse Society, leading UAE jockey Ahmed Ajtebi and the ERA representative Mohammed Al Adhab. Paul Daverio, president of the German Arabian Horse Society (DRAV) and Gerhard Schaningh, owner of the Hoppegarten Racecourse welcomed the move and reiterated that the conference is going to be fascinating and the most successful of its kind.

June 7, 2012 Berlin ~ Breeding:- The speakers of the first day of the World Arabian Horse Racing Conference Germany 2012 paid tribute to late Sheikh Zayed saying that his initiative to support Arabian races did not only preserve the Arabian horse, but it has mainly brought him to life once again.

Leading UAE breeder and owner Khaled Al Nabooda outlined the main problems they have been facing in the breeding industry as small breeders and owners.

“The hot and humid weather conditions coupled with the poor soil made our job very difficult, but it’s a challenge and we had to go for it. “We have some local-bred Arabians that made history by beating the European-bred horses and setting new track records for the various distances of the races in which they took part within the country,” he said.“But, the most urgent question which should be addressed by this forum would be the data base for the Arabian horses in training and the stallions as well. We need to know more about top stallions and winners,” he added.

Mats Genberg, secretary general of the International Federation of Arabian Horse Races (IFAHR) said: “To do this, we need realistic money and realistically sized organization.”

According to the IFAHR secretary general, they are only five people in the executive council working on their own, without staff or budget. “We have the will and determination to create the data base, but we need a push. In the Thoroughbreds sector, this mission was accomplished with private and commercial initiatives to serve an increasing numbers of racing fans. This advantage does not exist in our case. “Here the numbers of people with passions to the Arabian races are very little. However, we can overcome this problem by creating information centers in the countries where there are Arabian horse races and exchange the forms of the horses involved at the global level,” he added.

Among the other issues under discussion was how much is the contribution of the stallion and how much is the contribution of the mare in breeding quality racing horses. Generally speaking, the experts agreed that both elements are vital for the process and stallions with high genetic potentials can also produce good foals from un-raced mares and vice versa. Todd Moak from the USA agreed with Bill Smith (UK) that the mare is most important to the genetic contribution. It has also been noted that, the artificial insemination (AI) has made the job of the Arabian horses’ breeders easier and cheaper, especially for small owners, as they can now breed to the best stallions in the world no matter where they are.

Jockeys in Racing:- Jockeys in racing proved to be a very interesting segment. Kathy O’Hara from Australia, Ahmad Ajebi from the UAE, Azhar Al Wardi from Oman, Silja Storen from Norway, Phil Collington from the UK and Sofia Nordgren from Sweden. This segment was moderated by Rmily Jones from the UK. Jockeys were asked their thoughts on a range of issues including whips, drugs in racing, weight allowances for female jockeys etc. Kathy O’Hara made a very strong case for not allowing any drugs in racing.

June 8th , 2012, Berlin – Vetting & Nutrition

The second day of the HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Flat Racing Festival began with a select international panel of Veterinarians sharing their knowledge on keeping a race horse healthy, happy and sound. Speakers were: Dr. Robert La Caze from France, Dr. Sefiane El Alami from Morocco who works at Al Reef stable in the UAE, Dr. Inge Wijinberg from the Netherlands, Dr. David Levine, staff surgeon New Bolton Center, University of Pensylvania, Dr. Abdelwahab Amira from Tunisia, and Dr. Kathleen Picciano from the USA.

Racing & Training - The session on Racing and Training featured speakers, Robert Litt from France, Yves Plantin from France, Sharon Clark from the USA, Salim Hakmani, a trainer from Oman, Jerome Rambaud from France and Abdulla al Mansouri from the UAE.

Women in Racing:- The Panel on Women in Arabian Racing with Moderator, Suzy Al Hajj from Lebanon heard from Dr. Khulud Al Suwaidi from the UAE, Lara Sawaya, Festival Director and Director of Ladies Racing IFAHR, Denise Gault, owner of Racestreet Management, Gillian Duffield, trainer in the UAE and England, Sally Rowley-Williams, of Women in Racing, and Maureen Milburn from Australia, and winner of the HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak 2011 Darley Women of the Year Award.

June 9th, 2012, Berlin – Promotion & Marketing. The H.H. Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan World Arabian Horse Racing Conference Germany 2012 finished on the third day as panelists discussed the importance of promotion and marketing for the future of Arabian racing.

It was agreed by all present that the support of Sheikh Mansoor with world wide race sponsorship and the Global Arabian Conference to gather new ideas and develop growth was an extremely important and much appreciated support to Arabian racing.

Richard Lancaster of Shadwell Stud put forward his thoughts on encouraging more participation in breeding to keep the bloodlines strong and ensure enough horses to run in the sport. “To do this, we must maintain a certain level of prize money,” he said.

Gerard Schoningh, the owner of Berlin-Hoppegarten race course, feels that his role of getting people to the race track is where the enthusiasm for racing starts. He also believes that getting reliable racing data and forms for betting will help people grow to understand Arabian racing. “In our Arabian races, the betting turn-over is only 10% lower than for the Thoroughbred races,” he said. “The more information, the better.”

Susan Willis, Chairman of the Arabian Racing Association of California (ARAC) posed a question from the audience on some special insurance needs for the riders and grooms for California to encourage Arabian racing. Asking for thoughts on how this might be rectified, Lara Sawaya offered that the Sheikh Mansoor Festival would pay the insurance for the races they support in California.

The Gala dinner, always a spectacular climax to the Convention, was held at the German Historical Museum in Berlin in the outside courtyard. Delegates and invitees were honored at the event.

The location of the H.H. Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed al Nahyan World Arabian Horse Racing Conference 2013 was revealed to be Toulouse, France. The conference is scheduled for June.

The HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Flat Racing Festival is organized by the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority, Emirates Racing Association (ERA) and co-ordinated by Abu Dhabi Sports Council in association with Emirates Arabian Horse Society and IFAHR, supported by General Authority for Youth and Sports and Fegentri with Emirates airlines as the official carrier and sponsored by Invest AD, Al Rashid Investment, Areej Al Ameerat, Mauzan, Al Awani General Enterprises, Kabale, the UAE’s General Women’s Union, the HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Sports Academy, Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition 2012, Wathba Stud Farm and Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club.

World Conferernce

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World Arabian Horse Racing Conference, Berlin 2012

Photo Credits: Nara Australia

Social Media Announcement

Social Media is not a format that NARA takes lightly and for that reason rules have been put in place to ensure that Social Media is not used in an inappropriate way – see Australian Arabian Rules of Racing, Regulations, section 17.

Unfortunately we have become aware that this rule has been breached. It has been published on facebook that NARA cancelled the races scheduled for Mansfield, Alexandra,Yea and Canberra and Pakenham. This information is both incorrect and misleading.

The race at Canberra, which was planned for 2009/2010, was cancelled by the Canberra Thoroughbred Race Club. The planning for this race was well underway when we received a letter from the CEO of the Canberra Race Club saying that they had changed their mind and that the Arabians could no longer race at the Canberra track. This letter was made available to the trainers who were impacted by this decision.

The Mansfield Meeting 2013 was cancelled due to Racing Victoria Ltd. closing the track for safety reasons. The track will remain closed until further notice. This applies to both Thoroughbreds and Arabians.

The 2013 races at Yea and Alexandra were cancelled when, after giving their written approval, both these clubs withdrew their permission for the Arabians to race.

The race at Pakenham was never advertised as a definite date, rather it was stated that we were speaking with the Pakenham Club regarding having an Arabian race on one of their race days. This race, for various reasons, did not take place. It was not cancelled.

We would like it known that we have an excellent relationship with the Thoroughbred Authorities and Governments in both Victoria and Queensland. It is therefore very disappointing when some people use Social Media to spread incorrect and misleading information for no other purpose than to damage the Arabian Racing Industry.

World Arabian Horse Racing Conference, France 2013

HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Flat Racing Festival is set to host the World Arabian Horse Racing Conference in Toulouse, France.

We are thrilled to announce that Nikita Maclean will take part in the Exclusive Jockeys Panel in Toulouse, France in June.

More information will be appearing over the coming days in regards to this World Class Arabian Horse Racing Conference.

Representing Australia in the HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing

Festival will be Samara Johnson of Nsw.

April 10, 2013 met with the CEO of the Shepparton & Tatura Race Club regarding having an Arabian race on their race day program. A positive response was received. Further advice when confirmed. Applications have also been sent to other Victorian Thoroughbred clubs for Arabian races to be held within their race day program.

April 24, 2013 met with the CEO and other senior executives of Racing Victoria Ltd. regarding Arabian Racing in Victoria. Positive response. Negotiations continuing. Dialogue is continuing with the Victorian Minister for Racing re Arabians being recognized as a rightful racing breed in the Victorian legislation.

Meetings and telephone conferences have been held with Queensland Racing and the Queensland Minister for Racing. An application has been sent to the Queensland Government to have Arabians recognized as a rightful racing breed in the Queensland legislation.

Queensland Racing have now outlined their requirements for Arabians to race on the same program as Thoroughbreds. Applications have been made to Queensland Thoroughbred Race Clubs, who have been approved by Queensland Racing, for dates for Arabian races to be run within a Thoroughbred program. NARA and Shadwell Australasia are working toward the running of the Shadwell Arabian Mile in Queensland in early December, 2013. Full details will be made available as soon as negotiations have been completed between Shadwell Australasia and the Thoroughbred race club. Queensland Racing requested that NARA present a proposal/procedure for Arabians to train on Queensland registered racetracks. This has been done.

Dialogue is continuing with the New South Wales Government and Racing New South Wales.

Nara Updates

Australian Lady Jockeys

Nara Australia is proud to have the following Female leading jockeys representing Australia on behalf of the HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Flat Racing Festival.

We Thank HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan for his continued support and promotion of the Arabian Race Horse Globally along with the Inclusion of The National Arabian Race Horse Association of Australia.

We also take this opportunity to Thank H.H. Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak for her continued support in the promotion of Ladies in Racing.