Moroccan jockeys dominate at the inaugural UAE-Moroccan Festival in Casablanca

Ya Biladi

28-04-2025

The Anfa Sand Track in Casablanca hosted the first edition of the UAE-Moroccan Festival on Saturday, celebrating the two nations' shared passion for the equestrian world. Organized by Morocco's national agency for the promotion and development of the horse industry, SOREC, in partnership with the UAE President's Cup (Group 3 PA)—a prestigious international race for Purebred Arabians—the festival featured eight exciting races.
Two of the festival's prestigious races were claimed by Moroccan jockeys. Notably, the UAE President's Cup race, considered one of the most well-endowed races on the Moroccan equestrian calendar, was won by Moroccan jockey Faddoul Abderrahim, representing Daissaoui Mohamed Studs and riding Buraak. The race, which saw 17 jockeys participate, offered generous prize allocations of up to 2,500,000 dirhams for the winners.
The second major race of the day, the Abu Dhabi Cup, was also won by a Moroccan jockey. This time, it was Khalid Ibba who triumphed on Almohiba Fal from the FAL Stud.
«We are happy today that the horses of the Moroccan owners have won the two important races of the day», commented Omar Skalli, SOREC's General Director, after presenting the prizes to the two jockeys.
«This is the result of a very important and fruitful collaboration between the organizers of the UAE President's Cup and SOREC», Skalli said, reflecting on the first edition of the UAE-Moroccan Festival.
Celebrating a strong partnership
He further emphasized the significance of the partnership: «We have already worked together. This race (the UAE President's Cup race) was organized during the 10th edition of the Morocco International Meeting in November, but together with the organizers, we decided to dedicate it to a full festival, highlighting not only the importance of our collaboration but also the quality of the Moroccan races».
Skalli also highlighted Morocco's special position in the international racing world, noting that while the UAE President's Cup race is organized in about 15 countries, «Morocco is the only country to host an entire festival dedicated to it».
Faisal Al Rahmani, the General Secretary of the UAE President's Cup Series High Committee for Purebred Arabian Horses, echoed this enthusiasm, sharing his excitement about the event: «I am very happy to be here with SOREC, which has a long history of achievements. I believe this is just the beginning, not the end. The future will bring surprises and even better rewards».
«As time passes, next year's event will be much bigger and more regular, far beyond what you see today», Al Rahmani continued, offering a hopeful outlook for future editions.
In addition to these two international races, the UAE-Moroccan Festival also included six national races. The Prix Damas was won by Khalid Ibba on Ibn Dahess FAL, while the Prix Floralys went to Omar Lakjal on Tulip Grine. The Prix Mayar was claimed by Kacem Faddoul on Volver, and the Prix Qadem was won by Zouhair Madihi on Bint Metrag Angad. Omar Lakjal triumphed again in the Prix Sprint, this time on Frere Grine, and the Prix Dragon was claimed by Rachid Ban Doukia on Chahid Green.