The Peninsula
Qatari rider Mohammed Sultan Al Suwaidi yesterday captured Big Tour honours while Mohammed Khalifa Albaker grabbed the top spot in the Open Class as the opening round of the Longines Hathab Equestrian Series concluded on a high.
At the Al Shaqab Indoor Arena, the Al Suwaidi and the Al Shaqab – owned Happy Feet completed the round in 72.97 secs with no faults to win the top prize of the day, QR8,750.
Chin Van De Kranenburg, with Hamad Towaim Al Marri in the saddle, spent a time of 81.15 secs to complete the same task with zero errors and was the second-fastest among 17 entries in the Big Tour competition. He won QR7,000.
Ghanim Nasser Al Qadi’s Dilandra completed the round in 73.19 but conceded four errors as the Qatari rider won the third place which offered QR5,250 in prize money.
Earlier, in the Open Class, Albaker steered Arselina to complete a perfect routine in 20.66 secs. The win earned Albaker QR3,750.
Numero Uno – T, with Ghanim Nasser Al Qadi in the saddle, completed the same task in 23.44 secs as he walked away with a prize cheque for QR3,000.
Alqaqa Adel Nassar (Dubai) completed the podium after a ride that lasted for 24.81 secs as he got richer by QR2,250.
In the Future Riders class (70-85cm), young riders showed exceptional skills. Ilse, with Barzan Azzam Saleh in the saddle, completed an error-free routine in 47.65 secs to top the group. Joly’s Arno, ridden by Jassim Adel Al Saegh, finished second while Fahad bin Jassim Al Thani (Sandor) booked the remaining spot on the podium.
In the Future Riders 85/100cm category, Saoud Abdulla Al Kubaisi came first on Select, followed by Ab-dulaziz Khalid Al Bukhari (Harvard) and Mohammed Jamal Al Derbesti (Henrico) who finished second and third respectively. The annual equestrian series, initiated by H E Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad al Thani, President of the Qatar Olympic Committee, is jointly organised and hosted by Qatar Equestrian Federation (QEF) and Al Shaqab, a member of Qatar Foundation.