Sheikh Fahad rides magnificent Seven

Sheikh Fahad will be one of 24 riders taking part in the 28th running of the Punchestown Kidney Research Fund Charity Race on Saturday.

Traditionally the final race of the five-day Punchestown Festival and due off at 6.40pm, the Charity Race is run over about one mile and seven furlongs and is for horses aged four and over. Colts and geldings carry 12st plus 3 lb for each race won since January 2016 (maximum penalty 9 lb), while fillies and mares receive 5 lb.

Sheikh Fahad will ride 8-year-old Chapter Seven, who has carried both the Pearl Bloodstock and Qatar Racing Limited colours since being purchased out of the Richard Fahey yard near the end of his 3-year-old year. After 12 months spent with Stuart Williams, Chapter Seven has been trained by Ger Lyons in Ireland since January 2014, and he finished a close third in the Punchestown Kidney Research Fund Charity Race 12 months ago under Ger's daughter Kerri.

Chapter Seven made his first start of the year in a handicap at Naas earlier this month and ran very well in fourth. Sheikh Fahad was also in competitive action recently, finishing a close second on the David Simcock-trained New World Power in the Pertemps Champions Willberry Charity Race at Cheltenham on Thursday April 20.

Sheikh Fahad has won the Newmarket Town Plate on Almagest and the Corinthian Challenge Charity Race Leopardstown aboard the enigmatic Labaik, and he'll be hoping to complete the hat-trick on Chapter Seven. Among the opposition will be horses trained by Willie Mullins, Gordon Elliott and Jessica Harrington.

The Punchestown Kidney Research Fund Charity Race promotes organ donor awareness and specifically kidney research. The race has raised over €1.4 million to date according to its organiser James Nolan, who received a kidney transplant from his sister Catherine 30 years ago. You can find more about both the charity and the race by clicking on this link: http://www.pkrf.ie/race