WEC: Australia wins Silver

Australia wins silver in race marathon
National Nine News
11:47 AEDT Fri Jan 28 2005

An exhausted but jubilant Australian team has taken out a silver medal in the toughest and longest horse race in the world, the World Endurance Championships.

The Australian team was narrowly pipped by Italy in a field of 179 horse and rider combinations from 41 countries, competing in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Only a few of the starters completed the gruelling nine and a half hour marathon across the desert, 70km from Dubai, which ended overnight.

Few national teams survived to the finish with most - including New Zealand, Britain, Germany, and even hot favourite, France - disqualified by the half-way point.

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EnduranceNet Coverage

WEC: Start and Gate 1

Full coverage at EnduranceNet:

• WEC: Team Standings at Gate 1
  
• WEC: Images from Start and Gate 1
  
• WEC: Start List with teams
  
• VetIn/TrotOut Images
  

Full Coverage

Mohammed welcomes ?Endurance family?

Mohammed welcomes ?Endurance family?
Khaleeji Times

DUBAI ? With 183 horses representing 41 different nations, Dubai will stage the biggest equestrian endurance event in the sport?s history when the FEI Endurance World Championship gets under way today from the purpose-built Dubai Endurance City.


The UAE will be hosting the event for the second time with sponsorship backing of Omega, Nakheel, the National Bank of Dubai and Nissan.

The festivities began with an opening ceremony yesterday before the horses and riders take on the six-stage, 160km race across the UAE?s punishing desert terrain tomorrow. The finals will culminate in a closing ceremony, with an awards presentation on Saturday.

Over the past few weeks, the horses have been arriving in the UAE to acclimatise for a championship that was last held in the emirates back in 1998 when 37 nations took part.

This year, the UAE will compete with General Shaikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and the UAE Defence Minister, leading the way, while Shaikh Ahmad bin Mohammed Al Maktoum will be looking to retain the title he won at the 2002 World Endurance Championship at Jerez in Spain.

Speaking to the international media gathered at the Endurance City, General Shaikh Mohammed said: ?This is a sport that is growing very fast and this week it is our pleasure to stage the biggest gathering ever in endurance history. All Arab horses come from the Arabian Peninsula and I am happy to welcome them home.?



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WEC: Endurance riders set for top race

Endurance riders set for top race
Gulf Daily News

BAHRAIN's endurance horseride team continued their preparations for the World Championship which is scheduled for tomorrow starting at 5am Bahrain time at the Dubai Endurance City.

A total of 183 horses from 48 countires are taking part in this one-day event, the biggest equestrian endurance event in the sport's history which will cover a distance of 160 kms.

The Bahraini team is led by Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation (Breef) president Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa of the Royal Endurance Team and includes Breef first vice-president Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa of Al Khaldiya Stable, Shaikh Daij bin Salman Al Khalifa of Al Talia Stable, Shaikh Salman bin Saqer Al Khalifa of Ahmed Al Fateh Stable and Royal Endurance Team riders Hamad Al Meraisi and Yousef Taher.


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EnduranceNet Coverage

Australians geared up for assault

By M. Satyanarayan, Staff Reporter

Dubai: Penny and her husband Peter Toft will be representing Australia, the 2000 team champions, in the World Endurance Championship here on January 27.

But the Toft family has a larger role to play in guiding the fortunes of Australia, one of the stronger teams in world endurance.

For this edition of the world championship, the Australians have devised a novel method of selection and are hoping it would fetch them team gold.



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Final batch of horses arrives

Staff Report

Dubai: With the arrival of the final batch of horses from Bahrain and Oman, the field is now set for the FEI World Endurance Championship on Thursday.


"We've have received one horse from Oman and another six from Bahrain and this completes the entire list of foreign horses," Mohammad Rashid Bin Ghadayer, Chairman of the Higher Organising Committee for the championship, told Gulf News.



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By M. Satyanarayan, Staff Reporter

Dubai : One of the strongest assets of the current UAE national endurance team is the teenage presence.

Out of the 12-member UAE team named for the World Endurance Championship , five are teenagers including the reigning world endurance champion Shaikh Ahmad Bin Mohammad Al Maktoum.



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