Qatar’s Awad al-Qahtani rode Cassander Van Het Bremhof to glory with a flawless performance on the second day of the Hathab Series at Al Shaqab Arena yesterday.
Al-Qahtani bagged the QR7,500 first prize after clocking 59.12 seconds in the Big Tour 130-140cm class during the fourth round of the series which concluded yesterday.
The experienced Mubarak Yousuf al-Rumaihi finished second with a time of 55.04 seconds with Vilvaldi K, but four faults meant they missed out on the top prize. Al-Rumaihi won QR6,000.
The third spot was claimed by Hamad Nasser al-Qadi, atop astride St Lucia. Al-Qadi also clocked a better time than al-Qahtani time (55.23 seconds) but had four faults against them. Al-Qadi won QR4,500.
It was the win of the day for al-Qadi who earlier won the Medium Tour quite comfortably
“It was a tough competition. There were very good riders in this class. I am happy Cassander managed to produce a flawless performance,” al-Qahtani said. 
“The Hathab Series exciting for everybody. The riders get to hone their skills which will stand them in good stead during prestigious events,” he added.
Earlier in the Medium Tour, Qatar’s al-Qadi took the field with his new ride Galwaybay Merbreaker but that didn’t affect their performance one bit as they won the 120-130cm class.  
The 22-year-old clocked 32.52 seconds to walk away with the QR5,000 prize after a jump-off.
“I cannot be more pleased with my new horse. He is great. He is eight years old. I am sure I am going to keep competing with him for some more time,” al-Qadi said. 
Al-Qadi added he was not nervous before the jump-off.
“I felt pretty confident going into the jump-off. I was not going to let this chance of winning slip away. In the end I succeeded,” he added. 
Hussain Said Haidan, also of Qatar, riding Colijn, was second in a time of 32.83 seconds, claiming QR4,000 for his efforts. 
Qatar’s al-Rumaihi, who was in the saddle with Viking D, was third in a time of 32.96 seconds. 
He won QR3,000.
The dressage competition saw Jessica Waldon produce a slick routine with Lusso Del Catsegno to claim the top prize with a score of 68.125. She took QR2,900 for her show in the level 1 competition.
Iris Nijboer, riding Wait And See, secured the second spot to win QR2,300.
In the level 2 competition, AIsha Ahmed al-Ahmadi sealed her win with Rhythm.