THE sun shone brightly on the Arabian Racing Organisation for their popular annual race meeting at Hereford last Saturday and there was as much to see and do off the racetrack as on it.

First horse past the winning post in the first race of the seven-race card was Mutarased carrying the familiar blue-and-white colours of HH Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum.

Trained by Gill Duffield and ridden by Phil Collington, Mutarased gave a polished and professional performance.

Sheikh Hamdan's horse, Djeldor de Bozouls also won the fifth race.

Arabian Racing, however, is a sport within the reach of anyone willing to have a go and the winner of the second race of the day La Perruche illustrated the other end of the spectrum, the horse being owned, trained and ridden by P Rondel.

Welsh owner-trainer Delyth Thomas had a double with Roches De Cayrou and Al Mamoon, both ridden by R Cummings.

The two remaining races were won by Notid, ridden by Fred Offord, and Aqtal, ridden by Ms N Wynn. Both horses are owned by the BXPS Racing Partnership.

Off the track, there was also plenty going on.

Black dressage stallion Olympus Hale Bop, owned by Denise Beken of Newton St Margarets, gave an impressive display under Phil Woof. Representing the original desert Arabian in full costume, bay stallion Shuwaiman Al Bahrain, owned by Jenny Lees of Preston-on-Wye, was ridden by Khairy Omar.

The prize for the best hat went to Mo Montague and the 'best turned out lady' prize was won by Izzy Edgeley.