Mubarak Yousuf al-Rumaihi was unstoppable on the opening day of the Al Rayyan International Showjumping Championship yesterday. At the Qatar Equestrian Federation’s outdoor arena, the Qatar rider scooped two titles, including a 1-2 finish in yesterday’s feature event. 
A rider is allowed to compete with two different horses and al-Rumaihi made the most of the opportunity in the Special Two Phases 140cm class, where he finished first and second. He topped the timings with his 16-year-old gelding Vivaldi K in 30.56 secs, and also bagged the runner-up place with 12-year-old stallion Bolandro in 34.49 secs. The two podium finishes made al-Rumaihi richer by €3500. In third place was Hamad Ali al-Attiayah with Clinton, the duo coming home in 36.87 secs.  
Earlier, al-Rumaihi also won the Table A, Against the clock 120/130cm class. He piloted Viking D to victory in 59.19secs, ahead of Saeed Nasser a-Qadi (Daydreamer EC) and Jaber Rashid al-Amri (Canavaro De Muze ET).
The action continues today, with the championship concluding tomorrow, where the feature class – the Grand Prix will serve as one of the qualifying rounds of the Arab League for the 2018 World Cup. The total prize money for the Grand Prix is €12,000. 
The two-star €60,000 competition, which was launched in 2014, is organised by the QEF in co-operation with Al Shaqab. Fifty six riders and 100 horses from Qatar, Canada, France, Jordan and Morocco will battle for the top honours. 
The tournament comes less than a week after the end of the final round of the Global Champions Tour, which was staged at Al Shaqab. 
Meanwhile, Qatar Equestrian Federation president Hamad bin Abdulrahman al-Attiyah said the focus of his federation is to ensure Qatar riders qualification for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as well participating in the world championships. “Although the Al Rayyan International Championship is a qualifier for the World Cup, our focus is the Olympics. The World Cup comes every year but Olympics comes once in four years which makes it special.” al-Attiyah said yesterday. The QEF chief thanked HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad al-Thani, President of the Qatar Olympic Committee, for his support for the equestrian sport in Qatar.
Results
Special Two Phases Max. 140cm | Prize Money €7,000
1. Mubarak Yousuf al-Rumaihi (Vivaldi K).Time: 30.56 secs. Prize money: €1,925
2. Mubarak Yousuf al-Rumaihi (Bolandro) 34.49 secs. €1,575
3 . Hamad Ali al-Attiayah (Clinton) 36.87 secs.  €1,050


Table A, Against the clock Max. 120/130cm | Prize Money €5,000
1. Mubarak Yousuf al-Rumaihi (Viking D). Time: 59.19secs. Prize money: €1,250 
2. Saeed Nasser a-Qadi (Daydreamer EC) 64.27 secs. €1,000
3. Jaber Rashid al-Amri (Canavaro De Muze ET) 64.60 secs. €750


Today’s Schedule
1:30pm: Table A, Against the clock | Max. 115cm | 2 Horses per athlete | 350m/min | 5,000 EUR; 4pm: Table A, Against the clock with Jump Off | Max. 130cm | 2 Horses per athlete | 350m/min | 6,000 EUR; 6pm: Qualifying competition for the FEI World Cup | Table A, Against the clock | Max. 145cm | 2 Horses per athlete | 350m/min | 8,000 EUR