Istanbul Racing Festival Concludes
Istanbul Racing Festival, was held at the Veliefendi Racecourse on September 6-7.
Saturday, September 6
Morocco Cup By SOREC
The race was held on synthetic track on 2100 meters and 11 three-year-old thoroughbreds competed against each other.
Click here to watch the race.
Eagle Khan (Fly By Me - Lady Duru / Victory Gallop), owned by Kazim Kartal won the race with its jockey Muhammed Mir Bilgin.
The finish time for Eagle Khan was 2.12.36.
Kripto finished the race in the second place and was followed by Riyad, King Pisa and Hera De Rosa.
Kazim Kartal, owner of the winning thoroughbred, received the trophy from Brahim Ajouli, Consul General of the Kingdom of Morocco in Istanbul.
Brahim Ajouli also presented the plates to Yiğit Kartal on behalf of the winning trainer and to the winning jockey, Muhammed Mir Bilgin.
M. Kerem Alkan, Executive Board Member of TJK, Can Çobanoğlu, President of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Youth and Sports Commission, Tuncel Aydın, CEO of TJK, and Burak Konuk, Assistant General Manager of TJK, also attended the prize giving ceremony.
FEGENTRI World Championship Race For Amateur Lady Riders – 70 Years of FEGENTRI
The race was held on synthetic track on 2000 meters with the participation of 5 four-year-old and upwards Purebred Arabians.
Click here to watch the race.
Sadekar (Kaizbert - Refigül / Thunder Tiki), owned by Mert Çelik, won the FEGENTRI World Championship Race For Amateur Lady Riders Race with Cecilia Schnyder. The finish time for Sadekar was 2.19.89.
Baharbahir finished the race in the second place and was followed by Afşıntay, Hatır Sayan and Cebealp.
S. Selman Taşbek, Executive Board Member of TJK and President of the Amateur Riders Association, presented a plate to the winning rider Cecilia Schnyder. Charlotte Rinckenbach, Secretary General of FEGENTRI, also presented the flower and a gift to her.
Can Çobanoğlu, President of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Youth and Sports Commission and Tuncel Aydın, CEO of TJK also attended the prize giving ceremony.
Bi’Talih Cup
The race was held on synthetic track on 2400 meters with the participation of 8 four-year-old and upwards Purebred Arabians.
Click here to watch the race.
Ufkun Ötesi (Ufukbir - Nurten / Hürbatur), owned by Kaya Kaya, won the Bi’Talih Race with Recep Ketme. The finish time for Sadekar was 2.46.26.
Girdabın Oğlu finished second, followed by Platform, Baran Reis and Özerdem.
Kaya Kaya, the winning owner, received the trophy from Barış Kuyucu, Head of Communications Group of Bi’Talih.
Serkan Can, Deputy General Manager of Bi’Talih, presented a plate to the winning trainer, Şevval Şimal Demir, while Orhun Gencer, Corporate Communications Director of Bi’Talih, presented the plate to the winning jockey, Recep Ketme.
Gülnur Gülerce, General Secretary of TJK, Can Çobanoğlu, President of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Youth and Sports Commission and Tuncel Aydın, CEO of TJK also attended the ceremony.
Istanbul Trophy
The Istanbul Trophy (G3), was held on turf track on 1600 meters with the participation of 11 three-year-old and upwards thoroughbred fillies and mares.
Click here to watch the race.
Beauty Of Darkness (Tizway - Yasemin Kız / Mujtahid), owned by Erdal Öztürk, won the race with its jockey Akın Sözen. The finish time for Beauty Of Darkness was 1.39.53.
Lavender with Halis Karataş finished the race in second place and was followed by Giz with Ayhan Kurşun, Nymphadora Tonks with Mehmet Kaya and General Briella with Selim Kaya.
Leyla Hızel, on behalf of the winning owner, received the trophy from Serdal Adalı, President of TJK.
Gülnur Gülerce, General Secretary of TJK, presented the plate to Leyla Hızel on behalf of the winning trainer.
Adil Mert Kaya, Treasurer Board Member of TJK, presented the plate to the winning jockey, Akın Sözen.
Halid Milli, S. Selman Taşbek and M. Kerem Alkan, Executive Board Members of TJK, and Tuncel Aydın, CEO of TJK, also attended the ceremony.
France Galop Anatolia Trophy
One of the most anticipated races of the opening day of Istanbul Racing Festival was held on synthetic track on 2000 meters with the participation of 9 three-year-old and upwards thoroughbreds.
Click here to watch the race.
Captain Fantastic (Mshawish - Rahaf / Street Cry), owned by Sema Ulaş, won France Galop Anatolia Trophy (G2) with jockey Ali Yıldız.
Attalos with Özcan Yıldırım finished the race in the second place and was followed by Hope Breeze with Halsi Karataş, Poetry In Motion with Gökhan Kocakaya and Dragons Son with Ayhan Kurşun.
Henri Pouret, Deputy CEO of France Galop, presented the trophy to M. Kerem Alkan, Executive Board Member of TJK, on behalf of the winning owner.
Henri Pouret also presented the plate to the winning trainer, Onur Özelcanat.
The winning jockey, Ali Yıldız, received the plate from Jean Pierre Deroubaix, Member of France Galop.
Gülnur Gülerce, General Secretary of TJK, Hakan Yücetürk, Executive Board Member of TJK, Tuncel Aydın, CEO of TJK and Burak Konuk, Assistant General Manager of TJK, also attended the ceremony.
IFAHR Trophy
The race was held on synthetic track on 2100 meters with the participation 3-year-old and upwards Purebred Arabians.
Click here to watch the race.
O Bir Çelik (Kaizbert - Jonathan / Güntay), owned by Munir Gökçe, won IFAHR Trophy with its jockey Tolga Yıldız.
The finish time for the winner was 2.23.86.
Kral Sultan finished the race in the second place and was followed by Kızıl Gezegen, Torhan Tay and Soydere.
Bengü Çelik, on behalf of the winning owner, received the trophy from Faisal Al Rahmani, President of IFAHR.
Faisal Al Rahmani, President of IFAHR, also presented the plates to Erkut Koca, winning trainer and Tolga Yıldız, winning jockey.
Faisal Al Rahmani and Gülnur Gülerce, General Secretary of TJK, presented gifts to each other in commemoration of the day.
Sami Jassim Al Boenain, Board Member of IFAHR, Jean Pierre Deroubaix, Treasurer of IFAHR, Adil Mert Kaya, Treasurer Board Member of TJK, Hakan Yücetürk, Halid Milli and M. Kerem Alkan, Executive Board Members of TJK and Armağan Turhan and Hayrullah Doğan, Permanent Members of TJK, also attended the ceremony.
Horse Racing Ireland Cup
The race was held on synthetic track on 1200 meters and 10 three-year-old thoroughbreds competed against each other.
Click here to watch the race.
Farewell Kiss (Three Valleys - Snow Girl / Approve), owned by Kazim Kartal, won Horse Racing Ireland Cup with Murat Keçeci.
The finish time for Farewell Kiss was 1.10.81.
La Spezia finished the race in the second place and was followed by Cucurella, Mr Nalçakan and Balerion.
Daniel Lowe, Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy of Ireland, presented the trophy to Kazim Kartal, the winning owner.
Jeremy Greene, Representative of Horse Racing Ireland ITM, presented the plates to Yiğit Kartal on behalf of the winning trainer and Murat Keçeci, the winning jockey.
Gülnur Gülerce, General Secretary of TJK, Hakan Yücetürk and M. Kerem Alkan, Executive Board Members of TJK and Burak Konuk, Assistant General Manager of TJK, also attended the ceremony.
Sunday, September 7
Eküri.com Cup
The race was held on synthetic track on 1400 meters with the participation of 7 three-year-old thoroughbreds.
Click here to watch the race.
Magic Selectra (Bluegrass Cat - Miss Maker / Distorted Humor), owned by Nimet Arif Kurtel, won the race with jockey Akın Sözen. The finish time was 1.23.27 for the winner.
Father Mehmet finished the race in the second place and was followed by Bandolero, Lucerys and Beyazıthan.
Nimet Arif Kurtel, the winning owner, received the trophy from Tolgahan İmal, General Manager of Eküri.com.
Eray Adanır, Marketing Manager of Eküri.com, presented a plaque to Mehmet Demir on behalf of the winning trainer, while Tolgahan İmal, General Manager of Eküri.com, presented a plaque to Akın Sözen, the winning jockey.
Gülnur Gülerce, General Secretary of TJK and Can Çobanoğlu, President of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Youth and Sports Commission also attended the ceremony.
Eszter Jeles - FEGENTRI World Championship Race For Amateur Lady Riders
The race, named after Eszter Jeles, the lady rider who passed away at a young age in a tragic accident during a race in Istanbul in 2021, was held on synthetic track on 1500 meters with the participation of 4 three-year-old and upwards thoroughbreds.
Click here to watch the race.
You Are Just Fine (Bluegrass Cat - Mary Celeste / Street Sense), owned by Nedim Karakeçi, won the race with its rider Lize Ghys Dieteren. The finish time for the winner was 1.32.51.
Vivernus Pride finished the race in the second place and was followed by Sabır Han and Turgutlu Efesi.
Lize Ghys Dieteren, the winning rider, received the plate from Andrea Molnar, mother of the late Eszter Jeles.
The participating lady riders received their gifts from Andrea Molnar and flowers from Mate Galambos.
S. Selman Taşbek, Executive Board Member of TJK and President of the Amateur Riders Association, and Andrea Molnar, gave commemorative gifts to each other.
Charlotte Rinckenbach, Secretary General of FEGENTRI, Duygu Fatura, Permanent Member of TJK and Secretary General of the Amateur Riders Association also attended the ceremony.
Altiliganyan.com Cup
The race was held on synthetic track on 2000 meters and 8 three-year-old thoroughbreds competed against each other.
Click here to watch the race.
Viking (Authorized - Chantalle Rua / Mountain Cat), owned by Emrah Karamazı, won the race with jockey Müslüm Çelik. The finish time was 2.04.34 for the winner.
Suicide King finished the race in the second place and was followed by Touch The Cloud, Money Well Spent and Patakha Guddi.
On behalf of the winning owner, Hayrettin Karamazı, Permanent Member of TJK, received a plate from Oğuzhan Hitay, Board Member of Altiliganyan.com.
Enis Yazırlıoğlu, CEO of Altiliganyan.com, presented a plate to Emin Karataş on behalf of the winning trainer, while Yücel Karadeniz, Board Member of Altiliganyan.com, presented a plate to Müslüm Çelik, the winning jockey.
Enis Yazırlıoğlu, CEO of Altiliganyan.com, also presented flowers to Gülnur Gülerce, General Secretary of TJK, to mark the occasion.
UAE President Cup Series Malazgirt Trophy
UAE President Cup Series Malazgirt Trophy (G3) was held on turf track on 1600 meters with the participation of 12 three-year-old and upwards Purebred Arabians.
Click here to watch the race.
RB Mary Lylah (Al Mourtajez - Rich Kinkga), owned by Wathnan Racing, won the race with Daniel Tudhope. The finish time for the winner was 1.46.91.
Katı Zamanı finished the race in the second place with Selim Kaya and was followed by Kralkarınca with Akın Sözen, Aman Dulo with Gökhan Kocakaya and Köçek with Özcan Yıldırım.
Ali Al-Kubaisi, on behalf of the winning owner, received the trophy from H.E. Saeed Al Dhaheri, Ambassador of United Arab Emirates to Türkiye.
Faisal Al Rahmani, General Secretary of the UAE President Cup Series, presented a trophy to Mohammed Al Sowaidi on behalf of the winning trainer and also to Daniel Tudhope, the winning jockey.
Serdal Adalı, President of TJK and Faisal Al Rahmani exchanged commemorative gifts, while Gülnur Gülerce, General Secretary of TJK and Ambassador H.E. Saeed Al Dhaheri also exchanged gifts.
Adil Mert Kaya, Treasurer Board Member of TJK and Executive Board Members Hakan Yücetürk, Halid Milli and M. Kerem Alkan also attended the ceremony.
RB Mary Lylah, the winning horse received a blanket.
Bi’Talih Topkapı Trophy
One of the biggest challenges of the Festival, the Topkapı Trophy (G2) sponsored by Bi’Talih this year, was held on the turf track over 1600 meters with 10 three-year-old and upwards thoroughbreds competing.
Click here to watch the race.
Madras (Halicarnassus - Cihannur / Unaccounted For), owned by İhsan Erten, won the race with his jockey Özcan Yıldırım. The finish time for the winner was 1.38.40.
The King Siayer finished the race in the second place with Mehmet Kaya and was followed by Supercooled with Daniel Tudhope, Ciaran with Antoine Hamelin and Burgas with Halis Karataş.
İhsan Erten, the winning owner, received the trophy from Halid Milli, Executive Board Member of TJK.
Ferdi Kip, the winning trainer, received the plate from S. Selman Taşbek, Executive Board Member of TJK.
Özcan Yıldırım, the winning jockey, received the plate from M. Kerem Alkan, Executive Board Member of TJK.
Ömer Onan, Chairman of the Board of Bi’Talih and presented the sponsorship voucher to İhsan Erten, the winning owner.
Barış Kuyucu, Head of Communications Group of Bi’Talih, presented a gift to Ferdi Kip, the winning trainer.
Sebati Altunyuva, Deputy General Manager of Bi’Talih, presented a gift to Özcan Yıldırım, the winning jockey.
UAE Bosphorus Cup
7 three-year-old and upwards thoroughbreds participated in the race (G3) that was held on turf track on 2400 meters.
Click here to watch the race.
Borrego (My Dear Son - Seddifi / Bekmezbey) owned by Hayrullah Doğan won the race with its jockey Gökhan Kocakaya. The finish time was 2.35.28 for Borrego.
Al Tan with Özcan Yıldırım finished the race in second place and was followed by Tor Gold with Mehmet Salih Çelik, Simca Mille with Daniel Tudhope and Ride The Lightning with Mehmet Kaya.
Hayrullah Doğan, Permanent Member of TJK and owner of the winning horse, received the trophy from Faisal Al Rahmani, General Secretary of the UAE President Cup Series.
Saeed Saqr Al Muhairi, Consul General of the United Arab Emirates in Istanbul, presented a plate to Laçin Doğan on behalf of the winning trainer.
Saeed Khalifa Al Muhairi, Representative of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, presented the plate to Gökhan Kocakaya, the winning jockey.
Serdal Adalı, President of TJK, Adil Mert Kaya, Treasurer Board Member of TJK, Hakan Yücetürk, S. Selman Taşbek and M. Kerem Alkan, Executive Board Members of TJK, Talip Öztürk, Permanent Member of TJK and Chairman of TYAYSD and guests also attended the ceremony.
Borrego, the winning horse received a blanket.
Queen Elizabeth II Cup
Queen Elizabeth II Cup (G2) was held on turf track on 1400 meters with the participation of 6 two-year-old thoroughbreds.
Click here to watch the race.
Brando (Papa Clem - Ateş Girl / Always A Classic), owned by İhsan Erten, won the Queen Elizabeth II Cup with jockey Ayhan Kurşun.
The finish time for Brando was 1.27.09.
Grace Of God with Özcan Yıldırım finished the race in the second place and was followed by Loco Sugar with Gökhan Kocakaya, El Gladiador with Halis Karataş and Diluvio with Ahmet Çelik.
Col. James Torbet, the British Defence Attaché in Türkiye, presented the trophy to İhsan Erten, owner of the winning horse.
Col. James Torbet, the British Defence Attaché in Türkiye also presented the plates to Ferdi Kip, the winning trainer and Ayhan Kurşun, the winning jockey.
Hakan Yücetürk, Halid Milli and M. Kerem Alkan, Executive Board Members of TJK, Mete Aysal, Permanent Member of TJK and guests also attended the ceremony.
OSAF Cup
The race was held on synthetic track on 1400 meters with the participation of 9 three-year-old thoroughbreds.
Click here to watch the race.
Power Of Hakeem (Hakeem - Ocean Power / Cuvee), owned by Murat Aktaş, won the race with its jockey Ercan Çankaya.
The finish time for Power Of Hakeem was 1.23.08.
Kalküta finished the race in the second place and was followed by Supersonic Boom, Beachcomber and Arkadiopolis.
Horacio Esposito, International Relations Advisor of OSAF, presented the trophy to Birsen Aktaş, on behalf of the winning owner.
Horacio Esposito also presented the plates to Murat Aktaş, on behalf of the winning trainer and to Ercan Çankaya, the winning jockey.
Hakan Yücetürk, Executive Board Member of TJK and Burak Konuk, Assistant General Manager of TJK also attended the ceremony.