Olympic bronze medallist Abdullah Waleed al-Sharbatly clears an obstacle in the Two Phases Art. 274.5.3 category during the second leg of the Doha Tour 2015 Showjumping Championship at the indoor arena of Al Shaqab yesterday. PICTURES: Abdo Garsi
By Chris Hoover/Doha
Olympic bronze medallist Abdullah Waleed al-Sharbatly clinched the top honours in the Two Phases Art. 274.5.3 category, during the second leg of the Doha Tour 2015 Showjumping Championship at the indoor arena of Al Shaqab yesterday. Saudi Arabia’s Sharbatly riding Sacramento came up with a flawless round and a timing of 30.00 seconds to beat his compatriot Khalid al-Eid to second place.
Khalid (astride Dona Evita) completed the round in 30.31 to finish ahead of another Saudi competitor Bader Mohammed al-Fard on Bijou Van De Vijfheide, who clocked 31.85 for third place. “Sacramento is a superstar. Since I bought him 10 months ago, he has dropped only one fence in all the competitions that I have taken part in. Each time I have been in the ring, we have always been in the top three. He is my type of horse and suits me very well. I hope he can carry on winning and doing the same in the future championships,” Sharbatly told the Gulf Times.
The Saudi rider who was part of the Global Champions Tour in Miami had a word of praise for the Qatari riders. “Bassem Hassan Mohammed and Sheikh Ali bin Khalid al-Thani are doing very well. They are both talented riders and it makes us proud to witness Arab riders doing well on the international stage.
“The support of HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad al-Thani and the Federation definitely helps the riders to perform well.”
“We have four Arab riders in the top 50 and it will not be too long to have atleast 10 riders from Middle East in the top,” the current Asian individual champion said.
Saudi Arabia’s Abdulrahman al-Rajhi came with a stunning performance to reign supreme In the One round against the clock with jump off Art. 238.2.2. The Saudi rider on Chilli Pepper came through the first round in first place with a clear round and a timing of 85.38 seconds. He followed this performance with a fine display as he cleared the jump off round in an unbeatable time of 35.34 to emerge victorious.
Qatar’s Saeed Nasser al-Qadi on Day Dreamer was second with a time of 37:92, while Qatar Armed Forces’ Abdulrahman Adel Nasser on Cassandra finished in 40:45, to ensure a podium finish. Lekhwiya’s Saeed Nasser al-Qadi, who clocked 37.17 in the jump off, finished fourth as the Qatari rider accumulated four faults. Overall 18 riders representing three nations entered the competition and five went on to qualify for the jump-off.
“Chilli Pepper did well in the first round but he was unbelievable in the second. Though I turned in short for the double, he was upto the task and helped to win this class. I look forward to win every competition that I take part in. My ultimate aim is to win the Olympics and World Cup. The Doha Tour is one of the best events that I have taken part in. The Al Shaqab arena is the best in the world and to compete here is an amazing experience. I am looking forward to coming back to Qatar for the next event as well,” Abdulrahman al-Rajhi explained
Kuwait’s Ali Jassim al-Khrafi started the day’s proceedings with a victory in the One round against the clock Art. 238.2.1. Khrafi riding Ungarin 4 clocked a timing of 57.44 seconds in a flawless round to take the first place ahead of Qatar Equestrian Federation’s Hamad Twaim al-Marri (astride Senna Van De Helle), who finished in a timing of 58.89. QEF’s Abdulla Ali al-Ejail (Le Premier K) in 59.36 and Salem Rashed al-Marri (Marfurlong Magic) in 63.10 finish third and fourth respectively and ensured Qatar had three of the top four spots.
“This is my first win here and I am delighted about it. This is a great event as we get to get compete against the Qatari and other international riders. The experience gained here will help us immensely. The atmosphere at this venue is simply brilliant and I am glad that I had the opportunity to participate here. I must thank my family and Federation for all the help they have extended towards to my growth in this lovely sport,” Khrafi said.
