Top three finishers Saudi Arabia’s Abdullah Waleed al-Sharbatly (top centre), Abdulrahman al-Rajhi (top left) and Khalid al-Eid pose with Deputy Secretary General of Qatar Equestrian Federation Saeed Mohammed al-Shafi (bottome centre) after the Grand Prix of the Doha Tour 2015, Showjumping Championship at the indoor arena of Al Shaqab yesterday. PICTURES: Noushad Thekkayil
By Chris Hoover/Doha
Two days of fabulous and thrilling equestrian competition culminated with Saudi Arabia’s Abdullah Waleed al-Sharbatly’s victory in the Grand Prix of the Doha Tour 2015, Showjumping Championship at the indoor arena of Al Shaqab yesterday.
Sharbatly on Sacramento entered the arena second, and with a blistering fast round at 36.89 seconds, he set the standard high and it would turn out nobody could catch the Saudi champion rider. Abdulrahman al-Rajhi and Chicago went for a steady clear round and stopped the clock on 39.21. This turned out as a very wise decision, as the Saudi rider eventually ended up second as no other riders managed to remain clear against the clock. Khalid al-Eid who clocked 39.35 as the first rider to enter the arena, was third to enable a clean sweep for Saudi Arabia.
“I am very pleased and proud at this victory. Though he is my horse number six, Sacramento did very well to win the Grand Prix. He performed amazingly. He has come back after an injury and I had not pushed him last week but I decided it was time to go for it. He jumped really great and I am really happy with the results,” a jubilant Sharbatly told the Gulf Times.
“The competition was very tough today. Khalid went in front of me and he set a fast time. I had to better his time and Sacrament was upto the challenge. Rajhi also attempted to go better but they could not beat my time. It has been a phenomenal week for me and I am looking forward to the Global Champions Tour in Belgium next week,” Sharbatly added.
Lekhwiya’s Saeed Nasser al-Qadi gave Qatar its first win with a splendid performance in the Accumulator with Joker class. Saeed astride Jessico 4 clocked 49.23 seconds to take the first place ahead of Khaled al-Mobty on Aloha completed the course in 52.17 to finish second. Qatar Armed Forces’ Ali Yousef al-Malki on Diamond Delemma finished the course in 54.75 to take the third place.
“I am very happy to have won this class. Jessico 4 is a very fast horse who likes the speed class. He is very competitive and he came up with a good show today. This is a great event to have here in Qatar. This is the best arena in the world and I am proud that we have this facility here in Qatar. My ultimate goal is to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics for which I will work hard to achieve my goal,” the 21 year old Saeed said.
For the first ever time, riders from Qatar and Saudi Arabia were part of the same team and the trio won the One round against the clock Team’s Competition. Saudi Arabia’s Khalid al-Eid and Qatar’s Hamad Nasser al-Qadi, Khalid Hamad al-Attiya combined well to win this championship with a total timing of 149.67.
Khalid al Eid and Valuta S set the tone for the championship with a clear round and a timing of 69.95. Hamad Nasser al-Qadi and SIEC Lonnie extended their hold by checking in 79.72 seconds in the second round. Khalid Hamad al-Attiya and Viking D completed the final round in 72.70 to put his team in the lead and eventually the victory. Second place went to Ali Yousef al-Rumaihi (Eurocommece California), Mohammed Saeed Haidan (Kingdom Come) and Salem Rashisg al-Marri (Marfurlong Magic) for the completing a clear round in 150.34. Mubarak Yousef al-Rumaihi (Vivaldi K), Saeed Nasser al-Qadi (Day Dreamer) and Abdulla Ali al-Ejail (Vivaldi) took the third place.
“This is for the first time that we had a team that comprised of riders from Qatar and Saudi Arabia in the same team. We are glad that we could finish first in this tough competition. The experience gained in this event will help us a lot. The initiative taken by Qatar Equestrian Federation to host this event must be applauded as this provides the riders in the Middle East to get the exposure to take part in international events,”
QEF Secretary General Khaled Safar Al Hajri yesterday said: “I think it was unique to put the Qatari and Saudi riders together in the team event. It was a fine mix. This makes the competition of a friendly nature.”
