His Majesty the King’s representative for Charity Work and Youth Affairs, Supreme Council for Youth and Sports chairman and Bahrain Olympic Committee president Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa was crowned the winner of Ripon Racecourse in London.
It is one of the most prestigious horse races in the world thanks to its rich history and excitement it witnesses owing to the participation of many world champions.
Shaikh Nasser’s triumph came after his horse Semoum secured first place in the race, posting an incredible time of 1:11 minutes. Steering Semoum was jockey Jack Mitchell, while his trainer was George Peckham. This was Shaikh Nasser’s third participation in the competition.
“This latest victory for Bahraini horse racing sport is the outcome of the support and interest of His Majesty King Hamad. Horse sport in the kingdom is on the right track thanks to the direct attention and follow-up by His Majesty, who is the main supporter of sports in general and horse sport in particular in the kingdom,” Shaikh Nasser said after Semoum’s victory.
“The victory achieved by Semoum is in line with the King’s sponsorship of horse sport in the kingdom. We have been keen from the beginning to create all the positive atmosphere for the horse and the administrative staff and technical supervisor as well as his jockey to honour Bahrain in Ripon Racecourse which is considered one of the most famous and strongest races.
“We were aware of the great importance of this race because winning it will have a positive impact on the sports in Bahrain and it will confirm the kingdom’s pioneering position in this area. It will also put Bahrain under the limelight in the field of sports. For these reasons, we doubled our efforts to realise our dream of securing a positive result in Ripon,” Shaikh Nasser said.
Shaikh Nasser pointed out that winning the race wasn’t easy and it came after making many sacrifices. “This will not be the end. We will move forward with our plans to achieve more triumphs for the kingdom across the globe,” he added.