The Dubai International Arabian Races (DIAR) Committee and their partners are delighted to announce the dates for the DIAR European Prep Series in 2020, culminating in the flagship event at Newbury racecourse on Sunday, July 26.
There will be 17 DIAR prep races in Europe: as in previous years the series will begin in Rome, at Capannelle Racecourse on April 19, moving on to Bro Park in Sweden, Duindigt in Holland, and La Teste de Buch in France. The UK races (which are still subject to approval from the British Horseracing Authority) begin on June 11.
Mirza Al Sayegh, spokesperson for the DIAR programme commented:
“In 2019, the DIAR prep races were very well supported, with runners coming from across all of Europe. Our final race day at Newbury was a great success, thanks to all participants, trainers, owners, sponsors, racecourse staff, partners as well as the public who were there to witness very competitive Arabian races.
“We are very grateful for the support we have received from all the owners and trainers who travelled from afar to participate in the DIAR race programme. The racing authorities from Italy, Sweden, Holland, France and the UK have been very helpful organising, promoting and hosting our races and we are looking forward to working with them again in 2020.
“We are delighted to announce the renewal of the travel allowances for international runners competing in the races at Newbury on 26th July and the renewal of the DIAR bonus prize fund for 2020. The details of those schemes and the conditions of the races will be published at a later date.”
The Arabian Racing Organisation (ARO) is one of the most valuable partners of DIAR, and Genny Haynes, ARO Commercial and Finance Director commented: “We warmly welcome this news from the DIAR committee. The addition of the prep series four years ago completely revitalised DIAR in terms of the interest it has generated outside of the UK and last year saw our highest number of international runners declared for the meeting.”
She continued: “The DIAR series and of course DIAR itself have become a significant part of the European Arabian racing programme. We are delighted to warmly welcome overseas competitors to the UK and recognise the importance of being able to offer international racing at some of our most prestigious Grade 1 racecourses.”
