Salmeen Sultan al-Suwaidi couldn’t have chosen a bigger stage to announce himself, as the Qatari rider emerged triumphant in HH The Emir’s Sword Equestrian championship yesterday. The 23-year-old stole the thunder at the Qatar Equestrian Federation’s outdoor arena as he guided his veteran grey gelding Cantaro 32 to victory in the Big Tour class.
Al-Suwaidi was thrilled to receive the Emir’s Sword from His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani. “It’s a pleasure for anyone to shake Emir’s hand and receive the sword from Emir. It’s such an honour,” the young rider said. Al-Suwaidi and Cantaro 32 proved to be a formidable combination as they galloped the long course and jumped clear with a faultless round, stopping the clock at an impressive 78.16secs.
Unlike in the previous years, when a rider would win the championship if he did well on a particular day, this time the riders had to perform consistently over the three days of the championship. And al-Suwaidi walked away with the honour and QR68,750 in prize money after tallying highest points on the back of his impressive show yesterday. “I held up my points since first day. It was three days of jumping. I made sure that I had very good time on the first day because it would help me on the last day if I jump clean then I can win title,” he said.
Al-Suwaidi paid credit to his horse Cantaro 32 for the victory. “It’s my first Emir Sword win. It was a big challenge as there were strong competitors. I have an 18-year-old horse, which refuses to give up and pushed hard to today. I have been riding Cantaro 32 now for two and half years. Today, I was under pressure but it ended nicely. So I am very happy,” he said.
Qatari Olympic rider Hamad Ali al-Attiyah and his 11-year-old gelding Clinton finished second, while Salman Mohammed al-Emadi and Zorro Z took third spot.
“I was bit unlucky on the first day. But thank God I was fifth and held my ground in key rounds and today I finished second. I am very happy. Salmeen is a very good rider with a really good horse. Both of them deserve it, as they worked hard so hard the whole season to achieve this victory,” al-Attiyah said.
“This is my best result in Emir Sword. Every year I have come here with my second horse, this year I had a good horse. We were not ready for the show but we did what we can and we ended up second. We could have won but it was my mistake that cost us and not my horse’s fault,” he added.
Meanwhile, Khalid Mohammed al-Emadi won the Medium Tour class with his 10-year-old gelding Fiji. Al-Emadi was richer by QR41,250 after his victory. Sheikh Abdulla bin Nasser al-Thani (Dollar Van Ze Zuuthoeve) was second, while Cyrine Cherif (Gerlin VD Waterkant) came third.
The Small Tour title went to Mohammed al-Ghazali, who rode Michael Jackson to victory and clinch QR25,000 in prize money.
Saeed Hamad al-Rashdi (Graffiti De Lully CH) finished second, while Mohammed Nasser al-Qadi (Vlacido) third.
In the dressage events, Hassan al-Nuaimi (Leslie Ann 2) won the Level 1 event, followed by Saeed hamad al-Rashdi (Graffiti De Lully CH) in second and Amna Ahmad al-Saffar (Rhythm) in third. The Dressage Level 2 top spot went to Mennatallah Hesham Mourad (Quick Dance). Aisha Ahmed al-Ahmadi (Wait And See Ze) took runner-up spot, while Maha Matar al-Kuwari (Fokke Van Orshof D’17) completed the podium.
Meanwhile, Hamad bin Abdulrahman al-Attiyah, President of the Qatar and Asian Equestrian Federation, hailed the HH The Emir’s Sword Festival. Al-Attiyah said: “The Emir’s Sword Festival has achieved outstanding success. We are proud to contribute to the success of the two federations – Qatar Equestrian Federation and Qatar Racing Club,” he said.  “I also want congratulate the Salmeen Sultan al-Suwaidi for winning the championships and winning the precious sword.  I want to congratulate other Qatari riders too who competed for the podium,” he added.