Periander Delivers Breathtaking Win
The Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club is one of the most well-known courses in the world as it not only features wonderful facilities for stabling and training but is home to the prestigious horse racing events such as the Emirates Championship. The Emirates Championship is an event for Purebred Arabian horses, and even though Magaretha de Ruiter-Floor was given an invitation to run her horse Periander in the Kahayla Classic, she made the decision not to divert from the racing plan that she had set out for Periander, and it turned out to be a very good choice.
Periander has proven to be a very good horse for de Ruiter-Floor. In his seventeen career starts, he has taken third place four times, came second in six races, and now by winning the Emirates Championship, he has increased his victories to six. This Group 1 event was important to the Periander camp, as it will assist in discussions regarding the future of this magnificent race horse.
The Emirates Championship was the fourth race on the card, and Periander was teamed up with jockey Adrie de Vries for the event. De Vries managed to encourage Periander from last position into first, and as they crossed the finish line victorious, tears streamed down the cheeks of Magaretha de Ruiter-Floor. De Vries showed extreme patience while riding, waiting for the perfect moment to go clear and confirm victory in this 2 200 meter event. Owner and trainer, Gillian Duffield, will now discuss the upcoming events for Periander, but it seems their overall plan will be moving in the direction of taking Periander to race in a few European races before returning to Abu Dhabi.
They do still however have the Kahayla Classic to think about, on which de Ruiter-Floor commented: “We entered him here as we were not sure of an invite for the Purebred feature on March 26. Now we will have to see how he is and take the opinion of Gillian Duffield.” Periander won the 2011 Emirate Championship a head in front of Raked and jockey Gerald Avranche, with Nesnaas and Tadhg O’Shea finishing in third place.
