FEI: Banned Substance at European Championship

12/12/2005

FEI Legal: Positive Medication Case

The analysis of the urine sample collected from the horse Orkara at the FEI Open European Championship which took place in Compiègne (FRA) on 26 August 2005 revealed the presence of Guanabenz and its metabolite Hydroxy-Guanabenz, which are prohibited substances under FEI rules. The confirmatory analysis requested by the Person Responsible, Sheik Majid Mohd Al Maktoum, confirmed the presence of the above substances.

The Person Responsible has been requested to submit his explanation as to the presence of the prohibited substance and any relevant evidence to be taken into consideration by the FEI Judicial Committee by 9 January 2006.

Note to the editor
Sheik Majid bin Mohd Al Maktoum / Orkara were placed 3rd individually in the FEI European Open Championship and were part of the Open category winning UAE Team.

Guanabenz is a long active reversible sedative and analgesic. The substance is used in humans to lower blood pressure and decrease heart rate. The substance is graded ?1? by the FEI Medication sub-committee (1 = high potential to affect performance).

The Laboratoire des Courses Hippiques (LCH) issued its analysis report with respect to the A Sample on 26 September 2005 and the Racing Laboratory of the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) issued its analysis report with respect to the B Sample on 20 November 2005.

The list of prohibited substances for horses is published on the FEI website www.horsesport.org section Veterinary ? medication control. The FEI complete legal procedure for positive medication cases is published in the Legal section of the FEI website

FEI Web Site

German riders in upbeat mood

By RAMI HULAYYEL

THE all-women Germany team are in an upbeat mood ahead of the Gulf Energy World Junior Endurance Championship to be held in Bahrain from Thursday to Sunday.

The delegation, which arrived in the Kingdom two weeks ago, consist of six women riders aged between 17 and 21.

Aylissa Zwicki, Babette Frank, Stephanie Schrader, Sonja Gobel, Marina Berchtold and Joana Al Samarraie will be among 140 riders vying for glory in this 120-km event which will be held at the Endurance Village in Sakhir.

The race itself is divided into five stages. The first two stages will consist of 30 kms each while the third and fourth will be of 25 and 20 kms respectively. The final stage will be held over 15 kms.

Team's chef de equipe Roy Thiele said the team had a long-term preparation programme for this event which started in January this year. Right now the youngsters are looking forward to this prestigious championship.

"The riders have been training individually in different areas like as Kaiserslautern and Heidelberg. The team could only assemble last month in Luneburger Heide, North of Germany, for four days before coming to Bahrain," said Thiele.

Among the team's most influential rider is Babette, a 20-year-old hopeful, who will be riding Bashira in this championship.

Interestingly, she won all the three 120-km qualifying races earlier this year which makes her one of the top contenders for the title.

Crew member Gabriele Reiser said the horses were carefully selected from different stables in Germany where there are a few Arab horses as well.

The riders were also selected after the Germany Equestrian Federation organised a number of selection races throughout the year. The best six riders out of 60 were included for this championship.

Meanwhile, defending champions Italy completed their line-up for the championship with the arrival of their crew members and assistants.

Six riders, including Nicola Tarducci and Enrico Ercoli, who took part in the last edition in 2003 in Rome, will be hoping to retain the title.

Tarducci finished 33rd in that championship while Ercoli was unable to compete the race after his horse suffered an injury.

Other team members are Guilia Belfanti, Elena Di Valvassone, Francesco Iovino and Chiara Marrama.

Compete

Tarducci said he is pleased with the team's preparations and praised the Bahrain course which he said was quite different from what they are used to back home.

"We have been training in Italy for about a year but with each rider practising alone at his area," said Tarducci who was training at Sansepolcro City, North of Italy.

Tarducci said he is hoping to complete the race without any problems and is aiming to be among the top five riders by the end of the race. He tipped the UAE, France and Bahrain to be on the podium.

Meanwhile, Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation's second vice-president Shaikh Khalid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa met with delegation heads and conveyed the greetings of organising committee chairman and General Organisation for Youth and Sports president Shaikh Fawaz bin Mohammed Al Khalifa.

Bahrain riders set for race

BAHRAIN's national endurance team completed their preparations for the Gulf Energy World Junior Endurance Championship starting in Sakhir on Thursday.

The team, captained by Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation (Breef) president Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, includes Breef vice-president Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Shaikha Najla bint Salman Al Khalifa, Mohammed Abdulsamad, Abdulaziz Adam, Salem Al Otaibi, Ahmed Hassan, Shaikh Saqer bin Khalid Al Khalifa, Maytham Ahmed, Ebrahim Al Jebouri, Mohammed Abdulaziz and Fahad Sulaiman.

The 12 were selected from 24 riders according to their performance and results in previous races.

Shaikh Nasser asserted his pride in hosting this championship which will be held in Bahrain for the first time. He also said it is quite an achievement for Bahrain in organising this 120-km event in which 30 countries represented by 140 riders are taking part.

"Hosting such a prestigious event is a big challenge for Bahrain where endurance races started only five years ago," said Shaikh Nasser.

He thanked the International Equestrian Federation for giving Bahrain the honour of hosting the race to be held on Saturday and divided into five stages.

"This championship will draw the attention of millions around the world with riders from 30 countries taking part, which has never happened in any event in the past," said Shaikh Nasser.

He tipped the UAE, France, Belgium and Australia to clinch podium positions and said these teams have a vast experience in endurance races.

However, Shaikh Nasser said he is confident that the Bahraini team will put up a good performance in the championship and show competitive spirits.

"Our team has prepared very well for this championship. They have been training seriously and are determined to give off their best," said Shaikh Nasser.

The Breef chief praised the efforts of the organising committee, headed by General Organisation for Youth and Sports president Shaikh Fawaz bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, which made necessary arrangements in preparing the endurance village which will be the venue of the race.

Shaikh Nasser thanked His Majesty King Hamad for supporting this sport and for his directives to make major upgrades at the village and establish new facilities which gained the admiration of the participants since their arrival in Bahrain.

"This support from His Majesty adds more responsibilities on us as Bahraini riders to assert the good reputation of Bahrain's endurance sport. The recent upgrade work on the village will certainly contribute to improve the level of the Bahraini riders in future local events," he said.

Shaikh Nasser also expressed appreciation for the efforts of vice-president Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa during his stay abroad for academic commitments. Meanwhile, the final rehearsal of the opening ceremony is scheduled for today at 5pm at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir where the ceremony will be held.

French riders optimistic

By RAMI HULAYYEL

FRENCH team members are optimistic of their chances in the Gulf Energy World Junior Endurance Championship to be held in Bahrain from Thursday to December 18 in Sakhir. The team which arrived a week ago, headed by their chef de equipe Jean Louis Leclerc, consists of six riders. The team is presently training hard in the Zallaq area ahead of this prestigious event.

"We started preparations for this championship very late due to a problem with our federation which could not support us financially much earlier," said Leclerc.

But the team were fortunate to get the required support from the Sport Ministry in France. "We are very grateful to the Ministry of Sport. They gave us what we needed which was quite costly," he said.

The first selection included 22 riders but were later reduced to 15 and the final team was selected after a 60-km competition on November 13 in France and the top six were approved for the Bahrain event.

The age of the horses range from seven to 14 years while the riders are in the 16 to 21 age group.

The squad is captained by 21-year-old rider Legrand Florian who is the eldest member of the team. She will be riding nine-year-old horse Imanh.

Other team members are Belle Oceane, Pulicani Andrea, Perringerard Sara, Vasquez Nicolas and Mourou Justin.

Florian said the team members were surprised by the surroundings in Sakhir as it is completely different from what they are used to in France.

"It was a big shock for us," said Florian. "In France, we have mountains, trees and the surface is also different. I think will be difficult for us," he said.

His best achievement so far is finishing eighth in this year's European Championship in France.

Sixteen-year-old Mourou, who is the youngest member of the team, started riding at the age of seven.

She took part in many rides in France and her best record is a third-place finish at the 2005 Ribiers Race in France. Mourou is presently in the second year of a secondary school and is aiming to go to college.

Interestingly, the remaining members of the team have been riding since they were just four years old.

Vasquez, 20, is the team's most talented rider having quite a good experience. He has won several rides in France. He won one of the qualifying races in Pau City this year and also finished top at the Formigueres Race in France three years ago.

He is the only team member who is presently studying at a college called Albi in south east France.

Belle, aged 17, won the Guingamp Race in France last June. Her first appearance in an official race was in 2002 when she finished 13th in a local championship. She is in the second year of secondary school and will give her midterm exams once she returns home from here.

Perringerard is a talented 16-year-old rider who won three rides last year - Montcuq Race, St Galmier Ride and a selection race in Pau City.

She was one of the first selections and is hoping to finish among the top five in the Bahrain race. She is also studying in secondary school with one year left for her graduation.

Seventeen-year-old Pulicani snatched first position in Italy's Tongnon Race earlier this year. She won all her qualifying races which makes her a favourite to win a place on the podium in Bahrain. Pulicani is in her last year in secondary school

By RAMI HULAYYEL

KAZAKHSTAN riders stepped up their preparations ahead of the prestigious Gulf Energy-sponsored World Junior Endurance Championship scheduled to start on Thursday and conclude on Sunday at the Endurance Village in Sakhir.Five riders will be representing the former Soviet Republic which will take part for the first time in an international event abroad at the junior level. The team members are Gleim Vladimir, Kufanov Khasen, Oriov Denis, Gonlev Vitor and Kokov Vyacheslav.

"We made the final selection after testing riders from different villages in Kazakhstan," said Kazakhstan Equestrian Federation's endurance department chief Alexander Andrievskiy.

Unfortunately, the team suffered a major setback just before their flight to Bahrain as Gekhaev Daim was removed from the squad after breaking his leg during a training session.

According to Andrievskiy, the team has been preparing for this championship for the last three years at Nalchik, the capital of Kabardino Balkaria which is in the south of Russia.

"Our team riders are aged between 17 to 21. So it's absolutely a young squad and most of them are abroad for the first time," said the 57-year-old chief who is also International Equestrian Federation (FEI) judge.

"The riders have been training together for quite a long time and therefore they know each other very well. Maybe it will be easier for us because we are mostly together and competing in the mountains," said Andrievskiy.

He said the riders were overwhelmed by the excellent hospitality and very kind relationship from the Bahrain organising committee and the people of Bahrain.

For the last 13 years, Andrievskiy has been organising and sponsoring national and international endurance races in Kazakhstan and other former Soviet Union Republics. During the same time he became the FEI judge five years ago.

"This year, we took part in three-star races in several countries in Europe and our best riders from Kazakhstan qualified for this championship in Bahrain after successfully completing three 160 kms race," said the chief co-ordinator of former Soviet Union Republics.

Stables

Andrievskiy said in Kazakhstan villages people start riding horses at the age of four or five and continue their lives to be on horses as they help their parents everyday at the stables by training the horses and looking after them.

"Now we have some Kazakhstan riders in Russia. We managed to have a special riders school where our rider cannot only train but also have an education. We arranged a special time for the young riders which is convenient to them. They go to the school in the morning and then in the afternoon they train the horses," he said.

"The course in Bahrain is difficult for us. You can imagine how different the pressure will be on the horses on the deep sand. It is rather flat but different sand quality which makes it hard for most of the teams taking part in the championship," said Andrievskiy.

"We have only brought tvery good level riders and rather clever riders because the rider has to feel the horse each moment and know when is it possible to go faster and when to slow down," he said.

"We arrived here in Bahrain on December 1 and it is rather a short period for us to climatise for the championship. But the facilities here are fantastic. The organising committee did everything for us to feel comfortable here and we are very grateful for them," he said.

A total of 140 riders, representing 30 countries from across the world, will be competing at this championship which will be over 120 kms divided into five stages.

Sh Khaled Goes For The Gold

HE Sheikh Khaled Bin Sultan Al Nahyan is aiming to claim a second World Championship for Wrsan Stables owned by his father HH Sheikh Sultan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Deputy Prime Minister. He aims to repeat the success of his brother Sh Hazza who in January this year won the Senior World Championship in a record time.

Sh Khaled is currently studying at the American University of Sharjah and to continue his preparation for the Junior/Young Riders World Championships he moved six of his horses to nearby Sharjah Equestrian Centre. His enthusiasm for the sport initiated some of his fellow students joining him in the 46km qualifier at Al Wathba earlier this month.

Sh Khaled 's horse for the World Championship is the French bred Miss Dancer who in July won Catus in France, run over the World Championship distance of 120km.

A Gold medal for Sh Khaled would stamp a new entry in the record books as the first family to hold concurrently both the Senior and Junior/Young Riders World Championships.

December 11th 2005-12-11
Wrsan Stables

French riders optimistic

By RAMI HULAYYEL
Gulf Daily News

FRENCH team members are optimistic of their chances in the Gulf Energy World Junior Endurance Championship to be held in Bahrain from Thursday to December 18 in Sakhir. The team which arrived a week ago, headed by their chef de equipe Jean Louis Leclerc, consists of six riders. The team is presently training hard in the Zallaq area ahead of this prestigious event.

"We started preparations for this championship very late due to a problem with our federation which could not support us financially much earlier," said Leclerc.

But the team were fortunate to get the required support from the Sport Ministry in France. "We are very grateful to the Ministry of Sport. They gave us what we needed which was quite costly," he said.

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