Milan: RB Burn The Bill made history at the Ippodromo Snai San Siro on Sunday, becoming the first filly ever to win the UAE President's Cup for Purebred Arabian Horses in Italy.
According to Emirates News Agency, in a Group 1 field of ten, she was the only female. She came from behind, ran down the front-runner Lino in the closing metres of the 2,100-metre journey on dirt, and crossed the line to claim a title that will be remembered as one of the defining moments of this race's nine-year history in Italy.
The victory came at the fifth leg of the 33rd edition's global calendar, in what was also the first-ever Group 1 Arabian horse race staged at the historic San Siro Racecourse. Lino set the pace from the opening stride and held the advantage deep into the straight, with the field stretched out behind him on the new San Siro dirt track.
But RB Burn The Bill was travelling powerfully throughout under jockey Mickael Forest, and in the final furlong she found another gear entirely, running down the leader with decisive authority and crossing the line in a time of 2:22.1. The champion filly, by Munjiz out of RB Burn Yourself by Sand Blaster, carried the colours of owner Mohamed Abdulatif Al Hezami and is trained by Fran§ois Rohaut, one of the most accomplished Arabian horse trainers in Europe and a three-time winner of the Italy leg.
Crossing the line in 2nd place was Lino, guided by jockey I. Mendizabal, closely followed by Al Zeer in 3rd under the saddle of A.M. Al Qayadi. The race was attended by Abdullah Ali Al Subousi, UAE Ambassador to the Italian Republic; and Faisal Al Rahmani, Secretary-General of the Higher Organising Committee of the UAE President's Cup for Purebred Arabian Horses, alongside Mattia Cadrobbi, President of the Italian Arabian Horse Federation, in the presence of an elite gathering of owners, breeders, and officials who crowned the winners at the conclusion of a landmark afternoon at San Siro.
With this victory, RB Burn The Bill joins a distinguished roll of champions that has grown alongside the race itself - from Listed in 2017, to Group 3, Group 2, and now Group 1 in 2026. Al Rahmani remarked on the significance of this achievement, emphasizing the technical, organisational, and media gains it represents for the Italian leg and the broader presence of Purebred Arabian horses on European tracks.