Saher to start as favourite in Wathba Stud Farm Cup

Saher, owned by Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE and Minister of Presidential Affairs, will be starting off as the favourite in today's Wathba Stud Farm Cup race to be held in Avenches in Switzerland.Saher, trained by Robert Litt will be partnered by jockey Mathias Sautieau in today's race which is part of the Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Flat Racing Festival.Saher won the HH Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Flat Racing Festival's Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Cup in Frankfurt last year and will be the one to beat today as four other horses join the battle in this 1,600-metre race.Shaikh Mansour's Rasikh, trained by Jean Pierre Totain, will also be in the fray and makes an appearance after a fourth place finish to Periander in a Group 2 race in Istanbul.Sayf, with two wins in eight starts this year along with two Swiss raiders — Nil Ishan Ibn Al Sakbe and Nil Karazi — complete the small field of five runners.The Avenches race brings the curtain down on this year's Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Flat Racing Festival's Wathba Stud Farm Cup race series held internationally. This race was won by Shaikh Mansour's Rami last year.Abdullah Al Qubaisi, Director of Communications, Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (Adach) said the series has benefited many small owners and breeders.