‘I saw Ramzy’s round, I saw which turns he took, so I could chase his score. I
had advantage and it worked out the way I had wanted to. I am very happy’

Derin Demirsoy of Turkey and his 12-year-old stallion Harry K clinched the feature event at the Qatar International Show Jumping Championships yesterday.
At the Qatar Equestrian Federation’s main arena, the 22-year-old Demirsoy and Harry K combined perfectly as they put in a clinical run to win the Table A, Two Rounds 140-160cm, which carried a total prize money of QR650,000.
Saudi Arabia’s Ramzy Hamad al-Duhami was gunning for his third win of the championship and looked good for a hat-trick when he finished his round with Garlic VH Kapelhof in a time of 46.80 seconds. But Demirsoy and Harry K bettered the timing with a neat round of their own and finished in 44.55 seconds.
“I saw Ramzy’s round, I saw which turns he took, so I could chase his score. I had advantage and it worked out the way I had wanted to. I am very happy,” said a delighted Demirsoy, who was richer by 162,500 after his triumph.  
While al-Duhami settled for second spot and QR130,000, Qatar’s Khalid al-Emadi finished on the podium as he led Tamira IV to a third-place finish. The pair timed 47.05 second as al-Emadi took home QR97,500.
Demirsoy was already looking forward to do well at the Al Rayyan International championship, which will be held from December 26th to 31st. “I will enjoy the victory now. My horses will have a couple of easy days. It’s a whole new week, so will start from zero. Today’s win will be difficult to replicate again but I will do my best,” the Turkish rider said.
Meanwhile, Kuwait’s Ali al-Khorafi and his mare Cheril romped to victory in the One Round + Winning Round 145cm competition. It was al-Khorafi’s, who is riding under the FEI flag, second victory in the championship. The Kuwaiti had also came second in one of the events on Friday.  Al-Khorafi is a regular visitor to Doha and has been one of the prolific performers on the circuit. Yesterday, the 27-year-old guided his nine-year-old mare Cheril to a flawless win, as they finished in a time of 44.95 seconds.
“It’s a pleasure to win this event since it is our first show of the season. A lot of strong riders here. Most of the competitors here are Olympic riders. The competitions and standard are quite high,” said al-Khorafi, who took home QR30,525 in prize money.
The second place went to Jordan’s Ibrahim Hani Bisharat on his mount Brown Sugar, with the pair finishing in 46.02 seconds for a cash award of QR24,420. Russian Vladimir Tuganov was third with his 12-year-old gelding Confident of Victory. Tuganov won QR18,315.
Ten riders qualified for the jump-off, with al-Khorafi and Cheril last to go and the Kuwaiti he took risks in the round and it paid off in the end. “I had to take the risk since I was the last jumper. My mare has been doing really well. It did a great job on the first two days. I said ‘I will try and take risks’. Unfortunately we are not riding under the Kuwaiti flag. Hopefully they will fix the problem and we can ride (under the flag) in the next show,” he added.
Al-Khorafi praised his horse Cheril, which has given him many wins in the last two years.  “This is my second year with this horse. She’s young and she has done well. Hopefully I will take her to a higher level,” he said.
Al-Khorafi said he wants to continue his fine form next week as well. “Every year I come to Qatar. The Qatar Equestrian Federation always welcomes us and they are kind. The event is getting better. Even the technical side is getting better. I have won here already and finished second. Hopefully we will do a great job next week,” he added.
In the day’s opening competition, Saeed Nasser al-Qadi and his reliable gelding Jessico 4 won the Table A, One round against the clock Art. 238.2.1. Al-Qadi and Jesscio 4 have been regular winners on the circuit and the pair once again eked out a comfortable victory yesterday.
They finished in a time of 59.91 seconds as al-Qadi took home QR10,000 in prize money. Qatar’s Rashid al-Marri was second astride Beyonce, his 10-year-old grey mare coming home in 61.08 seconds. Al-Marri pocketed QR8000 for his efforts.  The third place went to Kuwait’s Noora al-Qaoud, who is competing under the FEI flag, and Beoniek. The pair timed 61.70 seconds as al-Qaoud won QR6,000 in prize money.

Results

Table A, One round against the clock Art. 238.2.1
1. Saeed Nasser al-Qadi (Qatar) Jessico 4. Time: 59.91 .  QR10,000
2. Rashid al-Marri (Qatar) Beyonce. 61.08. QR8,000.00
3. Noora al-Qaoud (FEI) Beoniek. 61.70. QR6,000.00
One Round + Winning Round, Art. 276.2.1, 2.3 - 145
1. Ali al-Khorafi (FEI) Cheril. 44.95. QR30,525
2. Ibrahim Hani Bisharat (Jordan) Brown Sugar. 46.02. QR24,420
3. Vladimir Tuganov (Russia) Confident of Victory. 48.64. QR18,315
Table A, Two Rounds – Art. 273.3.3.1 & 4.3 + 273.2.2. – 140-160cm
1. Derin Demirsoy (Turkey) Harry K. 44.55. QR162,500
2. Ramzy Hamad al-Duhami (Saudi Arabia) Garlic VH Kapelhof. 46.80. QR130,000
3. Khalid al-Emadi (Qatar) Tamira IV. 47.05. QR97,500