Top jockeys and horses on show in valuable Grade 1 prize

HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Darley Awards Stakes l 1m½f l dirt l 4yo+

Purebred Arabian stars Thess Is Awesome, Paddys Day and Easter Man will once again do battle in the Grade 1 HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Darley Award Stakes at Santa Anita on Sunday morning as last year's 1-2-3 feature among a field of 12 for the $100,000 race.

Thess Is Awesome sprang a surprise in the first running of the valuable 1m½f contest last season, making all under Travis Wales to beat odds-on shot Paddys Day for top Arabian trainer Lynn Ashby.

Paddys Day, who last month won the Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Cup, the opening leg of the prestigious Triple Jewel, is expected to start favourite to exact his revenge and has been installed 6-5 market leader on the Morning Line.

It is not just equine stars on show, however, as some of the leading jockeys will be participating, including world-renowned riders Victor Espinoza and Chantal Sutherland.

Before meeting on the track, Paddys Day and Thess Is Awesome competed for the honour of being named Horse of the Year at the prestigious Darley Awards – held at the Dolby Theater, the home of the Oscars – on Friday night. Paddys Day claimed the prestigious prize for the second year in succession, and was also named older horse of the year.

Also at Santa Anita

Earlier on the card, Mithqaal, formerly trained in Britain by Mick Appleby, will make his first start for California-based trainer Doug O'Neill when he takes on 2015 Santa Anita Derby winner Dortmund, and five others, in a $75,000 dirt race over a mile.

Santa Anita card