>> 850 falcons see action during four days of intense competition 

Dubai, 4 February 2023:  Winners in the General Public category of the inaugural ‘Mohammed bin Rashid Falconry Cup’ were crowned after four days of intense competition that saw 28 races and the participation of more than 850 falcons at Al Ruwayyah desert area in Dubai

Organised by Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center (HHC), the falconry championship named after the Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai will run until February 15, with formidable participation from local, regional and international falconers.

The tournament, formerly known as Fakhr Al Ajyal (Pride of Generations) Championship, is one of the most important and largest falconry championships at the country and regional level not only for the high number of participants but also for the total prize pool of over Dh23 million. 

Race results
The conclusion of the General Public category witnessed the superiority of Hasher Ahmed Al-Rayyan’s falcon named ‘Present’ in the Farkh race (falcons under one year of age), that covered the 400-metre race distance with a time of 17.484 seconds. Sultan Ahmed Al-Falasi’s ‘Yallais’ bird came in second place at 17.723 seconds, followed in third place by Sultan Saif Al-Mazroui’s  ‘Shivering’ (17.844 seconds).

Rashid Abdullah Al-Marri won the Jirnas race (falcons over one year old), with his ‘Q7’ bird with a time of 17.249 seconds; followed in second spot by Sultan Ahmed Al Falasi’s “Timed’ falcon (17.508 seconds), and Rashid Saeed Al Mansouri’s ‘Qazwin’ (17.402 seconds).

Buti Ahmed bin Mejren won the first cash round for Farkh, with ‘Nad Al Sheba’ falcon finishing in 17.597 seconds; while Abdullah Rashid Al Mansouri excelled in the first cash round for Jirnas, with ‘Q-73’ clocking in 17.460 seconds.

Race records

The highlights of the four-day race were registered during the Jeer Tehba rounds that witnessed the superiority of Ahmed Ateeq Al Muhairi dominating the Farkh race with his ‘T91’ falcon that clocked 16.983 seconds. Hamad bin Sheikh Mujran Al Kindi’s ‘Al Halyan’ finished in 17.116 seconds, followed by Tariq Obaid Al Zarif’s  ‘T15’ in 17.142 seconds.

Rashid Saeed Al-Mansoori dominted the Jirnas race with ‘Chivalrous’ falcon clocking in 16.449 seconds, followed by Matar Khalaf Al-Mansouri’s ‘Tari’ (16.754 seconds) and ‘Lightning’ (16.862 seconds.

Other results
Rashid bin Sheikh Mujran Al-Kindi’s ‘Kahal’ finished in 17.489 seconds to claim first spot in the cash round while Muhammad Suhail Al Falasi won the next race with his ‘T4’ falcon clocking in 17.887 seconds.

Rashid Ghanem Al-Hajri won the second cash round with ‘T8’ finishing in 18.891 seconds, and Sultan bin Sheikh Mejren Al Kindi excelled in another second cash for Jirnas birds with ‘Shahar’ topping in 18.263 seconds, and Hazaa Abdullah Al Shamsi excelled in the third cash run, with ‘T4’ flying to the finish line in 19.849 seconds.

In the Pure Jeer runs, Saeed Musabah Al-Shadi won Farkh race with ‘Al-Sail’ topping 17.048 seconds while Ahmed Ateeq Al Muhairi won Jirnas race with his ‘B58’ falcon setting a time of 16.724 seconds.  Rashed Ghanem Al-Hajri, Nahyan Abdullah Al-Marri, and Hamad Abdullah Al-Falasi excelled in other races. Other multiple winners include Ahmed Rashid Al-Khaili and Omar Hamad Al-Amiri.

Promoting national heritage
Demaithan bin Suwaidan, Chairman of the Fazza Championships Committee for Falconry, affirmed the precious honour of bearing the name of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has added greater prestige for the falconry championship aimed at preserving and promoting the UAE’s authentic national heritage.