Qatari riders in spotlight at Al Rayyan Championship

Qatari riders will once again be the cynosure of all eyes at the QNB Al Rayyan Show Jumping Championship, which kicks off today at the Qatar Equestrian Federation’s outdoor arena,
The three-day QR 1.7mn four-star event is the second of its kind to be held in Doha in two weeks, following the Qatar International championship last week. The last two show jumping events in Qatar has been a glorious one for home riders.
First Bassem Hassan Mohamed registered a phenomenal win in the Doha leg of the Global Champions Tour at Al Shaqab. While Bassem won again last week, it was Sheikh Ali bin Khalid al-Thani who stole the thunder at the Qatar international show jumping championship as the Olympic rider won the Grand Prix event.
Both Bassem and Sheikh Ali will once again be in action this weekend as they aim to continue their winning run. The duo will be looking to rack points, with Saturday’s Grand Prix being the Arabian League qualifying event for the World Cup to be held in France next April.
The annual event has attracted top riders from Asia and Europe. Two-time Global Champions Tour winner Edwina Tops-Alexander of Australia, who finished second thrice in the Qatar International championship, will be looking to break the victory drought.
The other star attractions in the field are Athina Onassis of Greece, Jordan’s Hani Bisharat Ibrahim, Vladimir Tuganov of Russia and Turkey’s Derin Demirsoy. Riders from UK, Indonesia, Uzbekistan and Pakistan will also make their presence felt. There are nine classes in total with three each to be contested today, tomorrow and on Saturday. The organisers have put in place plenty of activities for families to enjoy at QEF, with various food stalls in place, fun zone for kids and raffle draws with lap tops, iPads and mobile phones in prizes to be won. There entry to the venue over three days is free. The events will also be broadcast live on Al Kass sports channel.

Schedule
Today: 3pm: Two Phases 120 cm; 5:40pm: Table A, Against the clock 130/135 cm; 7:30pm: Special Two Phases 145 cm
Tomorrow: 3pm: Table A, Against the clock with Jump 120 cm; 5:25pm: Table A, Against the clock with Jump Off 135 cm; 7:35pm: Qualifying competition for the FEI World Cup™ Table A, Against the clock 145 cm
On Saturday: 3pm: Table A, Against the clock 130/135 cm; 5pm: Table A, One Round + Winning Round 145 cm; 7pm: Grand Prix - World Cup Competition | Two Rounds 160 cm