Rylan puts hand up for National selection

Wednesday, 13 December 2006

Kimberley Ryan's win in the Marlborough endurance ride at Chestnut Valley, near Renwick, on Saturday should give the New Zealand selectors something to think about for the up coming Trans-Tasman Endurance Challenge against Australia.

Ryan, riding for the Glendaar Endurance Stables on the grey Arabian gelding Dell Gamal, won the junior 124km NRM sponsored premier points event in a ride time of 10 hours 49.13 minutes. She now has a stranglehold on the South Island's sponsored series with one ride remaining.

On the long list for selection into the New Zealand junior team, to be announced today, Ryan along with Helen Graham and open rider Linda Harmon make up a strong Marlborough line-up for the challenge to be hosted by Nelson Lakes on January 1 and 2.

Graham and her Arabian gelding, Ra'oul Abu Rakheen, produced a stunning finish to win the junior 82km event in a ride time of 6.16.37 hours. Harmon's horse, Landon V'erah, sustained a puncture wound to her leg but the rider managed to stop the blood flow to finish third in the open 82km in 6.06.19 hours.

Sarah Hamer and Rosewood Tahir from Timaru won the open 124km NRM ride in 10.30.52 hours, they also took home the best conditioned horse (BC) award. Hamer is also on the long list for trans-Tasman selection.

Marlborough under 21 Sportsperson of the Year winner Kylie Avery returned to the podium with a close gallop finish in the open 82km class. Riding her mother's stallion, West Coast Zahav, Avery managed to pip Nelson rider Chris Bonniface by a short whisker to win in 5.55.01 hours. West Coast Zahav picked up the BC award. In the open 40km Canterbury's Jenny Worsfold and Sunnybrae Serene were judged first past the post in 2.31.17 hours. Rai Valley rider Kim Swan and Alamode Armani were second. Charlie Davis and Cheeko from the Waihopai took third with Cheeko receiving the BC.

Endurance results, December 9:

Open 124km NRM Premier Points (four starters, one vetted out lame): S Hamer and Rosewood Tahir 1; K James and Glendaar Arakis 2; B Priddle and JA GAI Kascade 3. Best conditioned horse: Hamer and Rosewood Tahir.

Junior 124km NRM Premier Points (two starters, one withdrawn lame): K Ryan and Dell Gamal 1.

Open 82km (five starters): K Avery and West Coast Zahav 1; C Bonniface and Radi 2; L Harmon and Landon V'erah 3; L Kenny and PL Mississippi 4; O Schreurs and Delights Antar 5. BC horse: Avery and West Coast Zahav.

Junior 82km (two starters, one v/o sore back): H Graham and Ra'oul Abu Rakheen 1.

82km Novice (one starter): Qualified: Tampa de Oro.

Open 42km (five starters): J Worsfold and Sunnybrae Serene 1; K Swan and Alamode Armani 2; C Davis and Cheeko 3; L Ryan and Naibara Gold Treasure 4; T Blunt and Hundalee Caly X 5. BC horse: Davis and Cheeko.

42km Novice (five starters): Qualified : Silands TricTrac, Silands Rhaffety, Stonelea Maverick, Sherdon Rakada, SH Wind Song.

25km Training (two starters, two eliminated o/time).

Marlexpress.co.nz

HM KING HAMAD RETURNS HOME AFTER ATTENDING ENDURANCE RACE

MANAMA DEC. 14 (BNA)-- HIS MAJESTY KING HAMAD BIN ISA AL KHALIFA ARRIVED AT THE SILEEN AREA ON A VISIT DURING WHICH HE ATTENDED PART OF THE ENDURANCE RACE HELD TODAY AS PART OF THE 15TH ASIAN GAMES IN DOHA.

HIS MAJESTY WAS RECEIVED BY AMIR OF QATAR SHAIKH HAMAD BIN KHALIFA AL THANI AND CROWN PRINCE SHAIKH TAMEEM BIN HAMAD AL THANI. HIS MAJESTY THEN ATTENDED A LUNCHEON HELD BY THE AMIR OF QATAR IN HIS HONOR. IT WAS ATTENDED BY UAE VICE PRESIDENT, PRIME MINISTER, RULER OF DUBAI SHAIKH MOHAMMED BIN RASHID AL MAKTOOM, QATARI CROWN PRINCE, SHAIKH TAMEEM, OLYMPIC COUNCIL OF ASIA (OCA) PRESIDENT SHAIKH AHMED AL FAHAD AL AHMED AL SABAH, MEMBERS OF THE DELEGATION ACCOMPANYING HIS MAJESTY KING HAMAD AND A NUMBER OF QATARI OFFICIALS. FOLLOWING THAT, HIS MAJESTY THE KING, THE QATARI CROWN PRINCE AND THE UAE VICE PRESIDENT HEADED TO THE ENDURANCE VILLAGE NEAR SILEEN WHERE BAHRAIN ROYAL EQUESTRIAN AND ENDURANCE FEDERATION (BREEF) PRESIDENT SHAIKH NASSER BIN HAMAD AL KHALIFA AND FIRST DEPUTY PRESIDENT SHAIKH KHALID BIN HAMAD AL KHALIFA WERE HONORED TO GREET HIS MAJESTY. HIS MAJESTY KING HAMAD CONGRATULATED KING NASSER ON WINNING THE SILVER MEDAL OF THE FIRST ASIAN GAMES EQUESTRIAN ENDURANCE RACE AND PRAISED HIS EFFORTS AND THOSE OF THE BAHRAINI TEAM, WISHING THEM FURTHER SUCCESS. HIS MAJESTY, THEN, PRESENTED FIRST PLACE WINNER SHAIKH RASHID BIN MOHAMMED BIN RASHID AL MAKTOOM FROM THE UAE WITH HIS GOLD MEDAL, SHAIKH NASSER WITH HIS SILVER MEDAL AND UAE JOCKEY SULTAN BIN SULAYEM WITH HIS BRONZE MEDAL. THE UAE WON A GOLD, BAHRAIN A SILVER AND QATAR A BRONZE AT THE LEVEL OF ENDURANCE TEAMS WHICH WERE PRESENTED BY UAE DEPUTY PRESIDENT, PRIME MINISTER AND RULER OF DUBAI, SHAIKH MOHAMMED BIN RASHID AL MAKTOUM. THEN, HM THE KING RECEIVED BAHRAINI CHAMPIONS WHO CLINCHED GOLD, SILVER AND BRONZE MEDALS AT THE 15TH ASIAN GAMES AND CONGRATULATED THEM ON THE ACHIEVEMENTS, TIPPING THEIR VICTORIES A SOURCE OF PRIDE FOR BAHRAIN AND HAILING THEIR BEST REPRESENTATION OF THE KINGDOM AT REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL SPORTING GATHERINGS. HM ALSO THANKED IN PARTICULAR THE GENERAL ORGANIZATION FOR YOUTH AND SPORTS (GOYS) FOR ITS TREMENDOUS EFFORTS WHICH WERE BEHIND BAHRAINS EXCELLENCE AT THE ASIAN GAMES 2006 , WISHING THEM EVERY FUTURE SUCCESS. HM THE KING ALSO EXTENDED THANKS AND APPRECIATION TO THE STATE OF QATAR FOR THE GREAT POTENTIALS IT PUT AT THE DISPOSAL OF THE PARTICIPANTS, EXPRESSING ADMIRATION OF THE SOUND ORGANIZATION IT DEMONSTRATED WHICH, HE SAID, REFLECTED THE STATES PROGRESS ALONG WITH THE OTHER GCC COUNTRIES IN THE FIELD OF SPORT. THE CURRENT SUCCESS OF QATAR ENTITLES IT TO HOST THE 2016 OLYMPIC GAMES, HM NOTED, WISHING QATAR EVERY GOOD LUCK TO HOST THE 2016 OLYMPIC GAMES WHICH, HE SAID, WILL REINFORCE THE GULF POSITION ON THE WORLD MAP. HM THE KING ALSO PRAISED THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE GCC STATES IN THE CURRENT ASIAN GAMES 2006, SAYING THAT THESE VICTORIES WERE REGARDED AS BAHRAINS FOR THE COMMON GOALS AND DESTINY AS WELL AS THE EXCELLENT TIES BONDING THEM. BAHRAINS PARTICIPATION IN DOHA ASIAN GAMES WAS MADE DELIBERATELY TO SUCCEED THE EVENT WHICH WAS HELD FOR THE FIRST TIME IN AN ARAB COUNTRY, EXPRESSING DELIGHT OVER THE IMPACT THE SIZE OF PARTICIPATION HAD ON THE NUMBER OF MEDALS WON BY THE KINGDOM THAT OUTNUMBERED THE MEDALS CLINCHED IN ALL PREVIOUS CONTESTS TOGETHER. HM THE KING THANKED THE BAHRAINI DELEGATION FOR ITS OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENTS AND QATAR FOR THE SOUND ORGANIZATION, WISHING BOTH SIDES FURTHER PROGRESS. ON THE OCCASION, SHAIKH NASSER EXTENDED SINCERE THANKS AND APPRECIATION TO HM THE KING FOR THE SUPPORT HE HAS BEEN CONSTANTLY OFFERING TO BAHRAINI EQUESTRIANS AT INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL SPORTING GATHERINGS AND PUSHING THEM FORWARD TOWARDS FURTHER ACCOMPLISHMENTS TO PROMOTE BAHRAIN WORLDWIDE. MTQ 14-DEC-2006 23:33

Bahrain News Agency

Asia Games: UAE wins endurance gold

www.horsetalk.co.nz

The flag of the United Arab Emirates was flying high when HH Sheikh Rashid Al Maktoum won gold by crossing the finish line of the first Asian Games equestrian endurance ride to claim the individual gold medal after a gruelling 120km race through the Qatar desert.

It was a dream finish for the UAE's Al Maktoum family, concluded the first ever Asian Games equestrian endurance competition. The team of four brothers finished with the gold medal and the eldest, HH Sheikh Rashid Bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, claimed individual gold on Magic Glenn, also known as Nashmi or 'The Brave' in Arabic.
"WHOOO!!!! I'm just over the moon," HH Sheikh Rashid whooped with joy as he finished. "The horse is very good. It was fresh till the end. Our team is still in the lead and now I am waiting for my brothers and hopefully we will make gold.�

The three Al Maktoum brothers, HH Sheikh Rashid Bin Mohammed, HH Sheikh Ahmad Bin Mohammed and HH Sheikh Majid Bin Mohammed, came in with a riding time of 18:55:23 for the 120 kilometres.

Fourth member of the team, HH Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Al Maktoum counted as the team's dropped score, after his horse was eliminated at the third vetiniary gate.

The Bahraini team, with two of its riders finishing, clinched silver. Bahrain's best rider, HH Sheikh Nasser Bin Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa, riding Shar Rushkin, took individual silver, after crossing the finish line just over three minutes after the winner.

HH Sheikh Nasser had opted to ride the last lap alongside HH Sheikh Rashid. On the final 10km of the race HH Sheikh Nasser told reporters: "I need a massage."

The third rider to cross the finish line was Dubai businessman Sultan Bin Sulayem, starting as an individual rider for the UAE.

Time-keeping proved to be a problem at this first Asian Games endurance ride and, after the first two laps, the ground jury and their team of stewards resolved to register the times manually by stopwatch.

What was planned to be a first for a modern timing system that works through an electronic chip to be read by a base unit, did not work satisfactorily and was abandoned during the competition.

The final results took some time to compute, when Qatar�s Fahad Mohammed Adhajri was confirmed as fourth place in the individual event.

In the team event, Qatar performed better, receiving the bronze medal, behind winners UAE and second-placed Bahrain.

Asian Games: Malaysia's Lone Entry

Rahman Drops Out Of Race After Injury To Horse

By Lena Liew

DOHA, Dec 15 (Bernama) - Malaysia's lone rider in the 120km day-long equestrian endurance race that made its Asian Games debut Thursday, dropped out of the race prematurely when his horse suffered a strained fetlock (just above the hoof of a horse's leg).

Rahman Azman Muhammad, riding the Raja Muda of Kelantan's nine-year-old gelding named Colorado, had arrived at the first vet gate (checkpoint) 30km into the route in 29th position behind a host of riders from the gulf nations.

"The track was wet due to overnight rain that had washed away the soil and they had covered potholes with loose sand. Unaware of the condition, my horse stumbled and strained a fetlock," Rahman said at the Mesaieed race course situated an hour's drive outside Doha.

Rahman who completed the first 30km in 1 hour 40 minutes and 50 seconds reached the second checkpoint an hour and 40 minutes later before dropping out.

Prince Sheikh Rashid bin Mohamed Al-Maktoum of United Arab Emirates (UAE) completed the gruelling race in 5'45:49s to win the gold and added the Team gold when three out of four riders in his team finished the race with a total time of 18'55:23s.

Sheik Nasser Hamad Al Khalifa from Bahrain took the silver while Sultan Bin Sulayem from UAE finished with a bronze. The team gold, silver and bronze went to UAE, Bahrain and Qatar.

Among the 51 competitors who headed out into the desert after a mass start at 6am were four members of the UAE royalty, three from the Bahraini princes, two Saudi princes and the 18-year-old Qatari prince, son of the Emir who was given the honour of lighting the Doha Asian Games torch during the Opening Ceremony.

Rahman would have had five other team-mates including the new Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin of Terengganu, but they skipped Doha after competing in the Sultan's Cup Terengganu Endurance Challenge late last month.

Members of Gulf states royal families compete in Equestrian Endurance

The Associated Press
Published: December 14, 2006

MESAIEED, Qatar: The blue bloods and Bedouins returned to the desert outside Doha for the one event the Arab states considered a formality for a gold medal at the Asian Games.

The 51 jockeys who took off at sunrise in the 120-kilometer (74.5-mile) equestrian endurance ride included 15 members of Gulf royal families in an event designed to define the first Asian Games held in the Arab states.

Hundreds of Qataris drove in their 4x4 vehicles in the desert, including 17-year-old Rashid al-Marri, who camped overnight Wednesday despite heavy rain along with five relatives waiting for the race in which his elder brother, Saoud, was taking part with the Qatari team.

"We are coming to cheer for my brother Saoud," said Al-Marri, a white-and-maroon Qatari flag draped around his neck. "We want him to win the gold medal."

Instead it was the United Arab Emirates team led by Sheik Rashid Al Maktoum, son of Dubai's ruler, that won both individual and team races, followed by Bahrain.

"I did not win this race alone. It is also a win for the coach and the people of the Emirates," said Sheik Rashid, who was riding his father's favorite horse, the chestnut Magic Glenn, or Nashmi.

Bahrain's Sheik Nasser Bin Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa, the son of the king of Bahrain, was second onboard the white horse Shar Rushkin, just in front of another Emarati, Sultan Bin Sulayem, on another white horse named Iknour De La Bire.

"We are a real team, no doubt," said Sulayem. "The Sheik trains us, I feel equal to his sons. You might even see him advising riders from other countries, because he wants everyone to improve."

Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid followed the progress of the leading group in a convoy of three 4x4 vehicles. As Sheik Rashid finished the race, his father was waiting for him and gave him a big hug.

The Al-Marri family was just as supportive, at the other end of the field.

As the Qatari rider moved slowly in the last loop of the race, men in 4x4 drove behind honking their horns to encourage the horse to move faster — until al-Marri waved for them to stop.

The king of Bahrain presented the medals to the jockeys, while Qatar's Crown Prince Sheik Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani greeted the three medalists at the finish.

Other members of the Al Maktoum and Al Khalifa families participated in the competition as well as three members of Saudi Arabia's Al Saoud family and three from Qatar's Al Thani ruling family.

The Qatari team included Sheik Mohammed bin Hamad Al Thani, the son of Qatar's emir. Sheik Mohammed had a bigger role on the opening night, when he rode his steed up a ramp the full height of the Khalifa Stadium to light a giant gyroscope-like cauldron to mark the opening of the games.

The 20-year-old Sheik Mohammed was part of the team that won the bronze medal Tuesday.

Thursday's course included five loops, each between 15 kilometers and 30 kilometers (9 miles and 18.5 miles) in length. The first two loops were the longest and the last was the shortest.

The competitors returned to the start point at the end of each loop for a medical examination.

Horses were regularly vetted on the ride, where they were checked for soundness and dehydration.

One of the sons of Dubai's ruler, Sheik Hamdan, did not continue the race after the third loop when his horse failed the test.

Although most people enjoyed the race, several cars were seen near the route stuck in the mud — the drivers clearly were unhappy.

Internatinal Herald Tribune Sports

Asian Games: Royalty abounds in equestrian; China racks up medals

Horse Riders: Qataris lead desert challenge

Two individual Qatari riders arrived ahead of the field in the desert, as the convoy went past its first check point in the equestrian endurance event – a 120km race over sand.
The first arrival clocked in at just under 84 minutes, 30km after the start. Saoud Al Marri, riding Nu Piece, and Mohammad Atta on Proavodo held a slight lead ahead of a group of 10 riders representing Qatar, Bahrain and United Arab Emirates in what has been a Middle Eastern-dominated race so far.
Fifty one horses headed out into the desert after a mass start at 06:00 in the dawn light. Heavy overnight rainfall has made the track difficult and heavy. Team coaches and veterinarians say they expect problems in the later stages of the gruelling race on Thursday 14 December.
Bahrain are the next best placed team. Their first rider making the first mark was Ahmed Hamad Saleh Al Rowaiei on Lormar Lorraine. Second for Bahrain was Sheikh Nasser Bin Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa on the grey gelding Shar Rushkin.
The race was always expected to be dominated by countries and regions from from the Middle East. Korea and Malaysia are the only teams outside the Middle East with competitors in the event.
Korea are competing on Qatari horses. The only true non-Arabic combination is Malaysia's Bin Muhammad Rahman Azman riding Colorado, a horse brought over especially from Malaysia for this marathon through the desert. But they have found the going tough and were more than 20 minutes behind the leaders at the fist checkpoint.
Bahrain comes full force with three members from the ruling family. Sheikh Duaij Salman Mubarak Al Khalifa finished ninth at the 2006 World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany. Sheikh Nasser Bin Hamad Al Khalifa from Bahrain came 14th. The third is Sheikh Nasser Bin Al Khalifa on Shar Rushkin.
United Arab Emirates are represented by four members of the ruling Al Maktoum family, with HH Sheikh Rashid Bin Mohammed Al Maktoum being the oldest at 25. The youngest, HH Sheikh Ahmed Bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, aged 19, won the title at the 2002 World Equestrian Games in Jerez, Spain, where endurance racing was introduced over a distance of 160km.
15th Asian Games, Doha 2006

HULIQ.com