The Festival was first organised in 2009 in Europe to introduce the European public to purebred Arabian horses. It included a series of races for the Sheikh Zayed the First Cup, in conjunction with other activities to mark the centenary of the death of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (Zayed I). The races were specifically for three year old horses. Older horses competed with each other in preparation for larger and more prestigious races in later editions of the festival. For the first time during the Festival’s history, four races will now be held for the best Arabian horses. Details