Bahrain: Leading riders for King Hamad race

Gulf-daily-news.com

8th MARCH 2009

TOP riders across the GCC region will be seen in action in the His Majesty King Hamad Endurance Championship scheduled for March 14 at the Bahrain International Endurance Village in Sakhir.

Many riders have already written to the Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation (Breef), the organisers of the event, seeking rules and regulations for the season's biggest endurance event.

The event will be organised under the guidance of Breef president Shaikh Nasser and under the patronage of His Majesty King Hamad.

The event will consist of five stages and will be sponsored by Marsa Al Seef. The race will be kicked off at 6am. The first two stages will be over 30 kms each while the third and fourth are over 25 kms 20 kms respectively. The final stage will be over 15 kms.

A junior race will also be held simultaneously starting at 6.30am.

This prestigious championship follows the remarkable achievement of Breef president Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa who finished second overall in the first-ever Endurance Grand Prix series held recently in Dubai.

Shaikh Nasser said this race has special meaning to all riders who are always keen to compete at the highest level.

"His Majesty's race is regarded as one of the most exciting competitions in the season due to the number of riders taking part and the valuable prizes on offer," said Shaikh Nasser.

The Breef chief is expecting to see a close battle among the region's most prominent riders.

He thanked His Majesty for backing endurance races in general and equestrian sports in particular. Shaikh Nasser also thanked Marsa Al Seef for sponsoring the championship this year.

His Majesty King Hamad's Championship was originally scheduled for Saturday but has been postponed for March 14.

Examination

The race was rescheduled to give all stables and riders the opportunity to prepare for this prestigious event.

The veterinary examination for participants in both races will be held on Friday from 3pm to 5.30pm.

The organisers have formed the ground jury and technical committees. Ireland's Brian Dunn was named head of the ground jury committee which also includes Bahrain's Haider Al Zu'bi, Ghalib Al Alawi, Abdulsamad Al Busta, Mahdi Hassan, Ali Ghuloom, Gahad Al Rumaihi.

The international steward is Mahmood Abdulsaheb of Breef while Mohammed Abdulla has been chosen as the technical representative.

The veterinary committee consists of 13 officials from Poland, Malaysia, India, Pakistan.