UAE claim top two spots in France endurance

Abdullah Ghanim Al Marri clinches Mondial honours in Compiegne, France on Sunday.

Winners along with officials during the presentation ceremony. — Supplied photo

Abdullah Ghanim Al Marri on Quran El Ulm came up with a superb finish to win the Shaikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival sponsored Festival Mondial d’Endurance and Shaikha Fatima bint Mubarak Ladies Cup 120-km ride in Compiegne, France on Sunday.

His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai; and Shaikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, attended the final day’s action in the Shaikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival sponsored Festival Mondial d’Endurance in Compiegne on Sunday. Shaikh Mohammed and Shaikh Hamdan congratulated the UAE riders after their victory.

Completing a 1-2 triumph for the UAE was Shaikh Abdullah bin Faisal Al Qasimi on Laiza De Jalima while French duo Marine Saignie on Qrafiq La Majorie and Ludovic Saroul on Magdan Solal were third and fourth before another UAE rider Ahmed Dahi Salem Al Mehairbi on Talik Ben Melfik finished fifth.

The HH Shaikha Fatima bint Mubarak Ladies Cup, was run in four stages of 37kms, 33.1kms, 30.3kms and 20.1 kms and a total of 121 riders started.

It was yet another dominant display by the UAE riders with Saif Ahmed Al Mazroui on Jager FPA, who won the 160-km ride on Friday, leading the field into the final stage of 20kms and looked headed for his second win in three days. At that stage Al Marri was fourth and with Quran Al Ulm, winner of a 160-km ride here in a good condition, the 18-year-old UAE star forged ahead to post an easy win.

Al Marri completed the 120-km distance in five hours six minutes and 05 seconds while Shaikh Faisal finished in 5:08.22 with the French riders timed at 5:10.11 and 5:24.48 respectively.

Al Marri, who has the rare distinction of winning the Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Cup 160-km twice in 2013 and again this year, said it was a challenging ride. “The competition was just like in a world championship and the course is also a tough one. But the UAE riders proved we are second to none and I am very happy with this win.”

Lara Sawaya, Executive Director of the Shaikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival and Chairman of Ladies Racing at the International Federation of Arabian Horse Racing Authorities (IFAHR) said, “The UAE riders once again proved their superiority at the international level.”

Support for endurance rides

“The Shaikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival will be sponsoring the World Junior and Young Riders Championship to be held in October 2015 in Chile. The Festival will also be sponsoring two endurance rides in Fontainebleau in France in March and October next year,” said Lara Sawaya.