Winning Post's Francesca Cumani speaks to HH Sheikh Mohammed bin
Rashid Al Maktoum on the occasion of the sixth edition of the Endurance Cup
held at the Dubai International Endurance City in Saih Al Salam on
Saturday. A number of international riders took part in the 160-km
endurance race in which Dubai Crown Prince HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin
Rashid Al Maktoum led the riders on ‘Nikos’ from Nad Al Sheba stables.
Winning
Post airs at the following times (GMT):
Thursday
Jan 24: 1730
Saturday
Jan 26: 0830, 2200
Sunday
Jan 27: 1730
Location: Dubai Endurance City
Date: Saturday, January 19th 2013
00:00:02
Francesca Cumani, Winning Post
Your Highness over 160 horses are running today, so many people and so
much activity, how do you feel on a day like this?
00:00:09
Sheikh Mohammed
Today is a great day and we are really enjoying it. It is good riders and
good horses who participate.
00:00:18
Francesca Cumani, Winning Post
The UAE is very dominant in endurance racing, why do you think that is?
00:00:23
Sheikh Mohammed
I think because the origins of horses came from here. So, Arabian horses
are from the Arabian Peninsula, and that’s why we have the love of the horse in
our blood!
00:00:38
Francesca Cumani, Winning Post
I noticed there are a lot of women riding which I did not expect to see?
00:00:45
Sheikh Mohammed
Yes, yes the women are getting more and more interested in this race and
they are possibly as good as the men.
00:00:52
Francesca Cumani, Winning Post
They can participate on the same level?
00:00:55
Sheikh Mohammed
Yes, yes definitely!
00:00:56
Francesca Cumani, Winning Post
And I know your other big passion is flat racing. Do you have any big
plans for Godolphin and Darley this year?
00:01:03
Sheikh Mohammed
Of course, we always have a plan to be number one you know, but really
to be around horses gives you positive energy, a very positive energy and it
gives you positive feelings about everything, even about your work, and that’s
how we get on here in Dubai, with positive energy. Every day we wake up and we
want to do something and if you don’t learn something every day then you are
not a leader or you will stop to be a leader. To answer your question, yes Godolphin is always doing well and we
expect him to do better this year and to be number one.
00:01:52
Francesca Cumani, Winning Post
Where do you think your passion is more? Is it in the endurance racing
or flat racing?
00:01:58
Sheikh Mohammed
In the winter it will be endurance racing and in the summer, as you
know, it will be flat racing. I love them both. The difference is that there
you have a trainer, you have Godolphin and you have a rider. Here you train
yourself and you ride yourself, so it gives you more pleasure. You are going
around the whole day
00:02:24
Francesca Cumani, Winning Post
You are very successful yourself when will you next be competing?
00:02:27
Sheikh Mohammed
When you won the World Championships in endurance you relax and you take
it easy and I am trying to choose maybe the President Cup or the Hamdan Cup and
at the end of the season, to go in
summer happy with a winner!
00:02:50
END
CREDIT CNN WINNING POST
No comments:
Post a Comment