UAE: Strong response for Emirates Challenge

By M. Satya Narayan, Staff Reporter


Abu Dhabi: The Emirates International Endurance Village's Emirates Challenge is expected to attract around 100 entries for the FEI CEI Three-star 120-km endurance ride on Saturday.

Speaking to reporters here yesterday, Adnan Sultan Saif Al Nuaimi, General Manager of Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club (ADEC) said the event, earlier a three-round challenge, will now be a one-off event with Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture & Heritage (ADACH) supporting it.

"There will be a total prize money of Dh400,000 and the ride will be run in five stages of 32km, 30km, 24km, 18km and 16km," Adnan said.

"This is a very prestigious event after the President's Cup and the National Day Cup and we expect all the top riders in the UAE along with the foreign riders to take part in it," he said.

Abdullah Al Qubaisi, Head of the ADACH Exhibitions Department, said the Authority was set up last year and aimed at preserving heritage sport and activities.

"We work directly under Shaikh Sultan Bin Tahnoun Al Nahyan, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority, and this is the first time we are sponsoring an endurance event," he said.

"Apart from horse racing and camel racing, falconry is another sport that we support while we also hold the annual Equestrian and Hunting show," Al Qubaisi said.

"With Purebred Arabian horses playing a lead role in the sport of endurance, we are delighted to be part of this event and hopefully we will continue this association," he said.

ADEC's Marketing and Sponsor Liaison Lara Sawaya said that apart from the Dh400,000 on offer, there were many other awards and cash prizes for the spectators.

"Etihad Airways will be giving away three air tickets and Axiom Telecom will part with eight mobile phones to be raffled free. The Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture & Heritage will also give away a total of Dh10,000 through the free raffle," said Lara.

Meanwhile, Saturday's event will be the penultimate event at the Emirates International Endurance Village in Al Wathba. Once again, Al Reef Stables are expected to make a strong bid to extend their domination.

Bahrain: Strong UAE team for endurance race

FORMER world champion Shaikh Hazza bin Sultan Al Nahyan will be participating in His Majesty the King's Cup Endurance Horseride Championship scheduled for Saturday at the Bahrain International Endurance Village in Sakhir. Shaikh Hazza will lead a strong field of top UAE riders, including his young brother Shaikh Khalid bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

The championship, featuring senior and junior races - both over 120 km - will also witness four riders from Kuwait as well as Saudi Arabia's Kingdom Stable team who have already arrived in Bahrain.

Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation first vice-president Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa welcomed the participants for the championship.

Shaikh Khalid said the federation has received many entries from Bahrain and that registration will be open until Friday.

"We are all excited and honoured to take part in this race which has attracted many top riders from Bahrain and overseas. Riders here are showing great spirit during training and are keen to steal the spotlight on this special occasion," said Shaikh Khalid.

He also thanked sponsors Durrat Al Bahrain, specially its chairman Abdulhakim Al Khayyat for its support to this championship.

"I am thankful to Durrat Al Bahrain for their support which will certainly help in making the championship a success," he said.

"Preparations are almost finished at the village which is now ready to host the championship and I am thankful for His Majesty King Hamad who has been supportive and inspiring the riders in different competitions," he said.

Meanwhile, the organising committee has named the working committees of the championship.

The judges committee is headed by Brian Dunn of Ireland and includes Sundar Rethinavel of India, Abdulsamad Al Busta and Haider Al Zo'bi of Bahrain. They will be assisted by Bahrain's Haider Rafii, Mhadi Al Kulaiti and Ali Ghuloom.

Ghalib Al Alawi, who is the Breef general secretary, has been chosen as the official commissioner of the championship while Mohammed Dadulla, Mahmood Abdulsaheb and Fahad Al Rumaihi are the supervisors.

The veterinary team consist of Saudi Arabia's Dr Mohammed Al Hammad, Ahmed Rida of Iran, Samuel Kamal of Malaysia, Zahid Rafiq of Pakistan, India's V C Thomas, Shafi Mohammed and Ibrahim Al Hassan, Bahrain's Abbas Al Haiki, Ibrahim Yousef, Adam Sabeel, Abdulrahman Abushook, Fareeda Abdulrazzaq and Sabah Al Kaabi.

Qatar: Mannai wins Endurance ride

Qatar: Gulf Times

Published: Monday, 5 March, 2007, 09:48 AM Doha Time

Photo: The King of Malaysia Wathiq Billah Mizan Zainal Abidin (fourth from right) seen with the winners of the Endurance Ride held on Sunday at Mesaieed

The King of Malaysia Wathiq Billah Mizan Zainal Abidin (fourth from right) seen with the winners of the Endurance Ride held on Sunday at Mesaieed
ESSA Ahmed al-Mannai finished the gruelling 160km qualifying ride in 12hrs25min.02secs , ahead of the King of Malaysia Al Wathiq Billah Mizan Zainal Abidin at the Endurance Village in Mesaieed on Sunday.
Mannai, riding Vertglant, was placed sixth at the end of the first and second vet gate, but improved to second at the third and made up enough time to finish first after the fourth and fifth stages to emerge champion.

The Malaysian king astride Moniqe Danilee started off the first stage of 35 kms with a ninth finish. He gradually made up and took the fifth spot in the second and third stage. With some of the contenders retiring from the fray, Abidin came back into reckoning in the fifth and sixth stage while checking in behind the eventual winner.
In another qualifying round which was held in two stages over 60kms, Diana Cumming Untermeyer riding Lamh Al Basr checked in first ahead of Lakshman Singh astride Omani Azaq. The former clocked a time of 4hrs35min11secs, while Lakshman was just 11 seconds behind the winner.

Bahrain: Stage set for top endurance race

REGISTRATION is underway for His Majesty King Hamad's Endurance Horseride Cup scheduled for Saturday at the Bahrain International Endurance Village in Sakhir.

Top riders from Bahrain, the GCC and other countries are expected to take part in this prestigious event being organised by the Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation (Breef).

Breef president Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa said more than 50 riders from Bahrain will be taking part in this prestigious event which consists of 120-km races for seniors and juniors.

The Breef chief added the race would be open to Bahrainis and expatriates with top riders from around the world expected to be in the fray. "I would like to welcome all the riders from outside Bahrain to participate in the championship. Their presence will be highly appreciated and will add more spice to the competition," said Shaikh Nasser.

Riders from Saudi Arabia's Kingdom Stable, which is owned by Prince Al Waleed bin Talal, are also expected to participate.

"This championship is the biggest event on our calendar and we must work hard to guarantee its success," said Shaikh Nasser.

This year's championship will be sponsored by Durrat Al Bahrain who signed a sponsorship agreement with the federation.

"I am thankful to Durrat Al Bahrain for their support to us which will certainly help in making the championship a success," he said.

This race will be the fifth of the season, which kicked off with the Season Opening Championship, followed by the Kingdom Holding Championship, the Bahrain International Open Championship and the Prime Minister's Championship last month.

Shaikh Nasser also said the federation has submitted its bid to organise the 2008 World Endurance Horseride Championship for the seniors and are waiting for a reply from the International Equestrian Federation.

"Our chances of having this world event in Bahrain are very good. We have already organised the world junior championship and are also capable of hosting the senior event," said a confident Shaikh Nasser.

Qatar: Tuanku Mizan Finishes Second

Bernama.Com - Malaysian News Agency
March 04, 2007 01:13 AM

KUALA LUMPUR, March 3 (Bernama) -- The Qatar International Endurance Race had a royal glitter with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin riding his mare to a podium finish at the Qatar Endurance Village in Doha.

According to a statement, His Majesty completed the gruelling 160km course in second place behind Qatari rider, Isa Al-Manai, who was riding for the Al Shaqab stable owned by the Emir of Qatar.

It was a double delight for Malaysia with Faizal Ismail of the Selangor based Ar-Raudah Equine Centre finishing third.

Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Azalina Othman Said, who accompanied the King to Doha, expressed her delight over the King's achievement. She said it was more satisfying since the weather was rather chilly and windy.

All the 39 riders that took part in the race were flagged off at 9pm, Friday and the top three riders finished the race in approximately 13 hours.

Azalina said Tuanku Mizan's second placing placed him on track to qualify for the World Endurance Race to be held in Terengganu next year.

The King is expected to participate in the Royal Kedah International Ride in Bandar Darul Aman, Jitra from March 8-10. The event has attracted more than 80 riders including several royalties from West Asia.

Two more international endurance events are scheduled to be held in Selangor and Johor this year as part of the build up to next year's world championship.

Malaysia: Kedah Host Royal International Invitational Ride 2007

Bernama, Malaysian National News Agency

March 01, 2007 23:56 PM

ALOR STAR, March 1 (Bernama) -- Kedah will once again draw world attention when it hosts the Royal Kedah International Invitational Ride 2007 at the Darul Aman Equine Centre in Jitra on March 9 and 10.

The endurance race will be participated by 80 riders, including 15 world-class foreign riders as well as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin and royalty from the Gulf states.

This grand event in the northern region, after the Langkawi Ironman Triathlon 2007 which ended on Feb 24, is set to draw greater public interest in equine sports.

The Darul Aman Equine Centre, run by the state government's investment arm, Darulaman Realty Sdn Bhd, since two years ago, is the only such centre in this part of the country.

When visiting the centre recently, Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Azalina Othman Said said equine sport, although regarded as a sport of the rich, could still result in the development of the equine industry and emerge as a new tourism product for Kedah.

According to her, the competition had attained recognition from the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) and Equestrian Association of Malaysia (EAM).

"Kedah's success as the host and the ministry as the joint organiser will have a bearing on the holding of the World Endurance Championship in Terengganu next year."

She said the organisers of the Kedah event should ensure that the competition turns out to be the best as "the fans all over the world will be watching us".

The participation of Sultan Mizan with five others in his team is expected to draw much public attention, especially among equine sport fans in this country.

Among the participating royalty are Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, Sheikh Rashid from Qatar and Deputy Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Sultan Al-Nahyan.

Riders from Australia, the United States, Belgium and the Netherlands will also compete against those from Brunei, Indonesia and Thailand.

The endurance race, will be divided into three categories -- 120km, 80km and 40km from 5.30 pm on March 9 to about 10 am the next day.

Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid is confident that the competition would run smoothly and urged the people to warmly welcome the participants.

"As the races are not only held at night but will pass through housing estates, villages, padi fields and rubber plantations, the people must give their full support," he said.

Mahdzir hoped the sport would not only evoke interest among the people but also result in the emergence of top riders to represent Kedah at international events.

He also called on the people to give their cooperation to the authorities in ensuring the safety of the participants.

The participants are expected to arrive in Alor Star tomorrow while some of the horses are already here, including six from Brisbane, Australia, and they are placed at the Darul Aman Equine Centre.

To make it a more interesting event, the organisers will hold some side activities which are open to the public.

The Sultan of Kedah will flag off the races and present the prizes to the winners.

-- BERNAMA

WEC-JYR: Ride Map On-Line - Campo deMayo

The map for the upcoming 2007 World Endurance Championship at Campo de Mayo Argentina is online at

EnduranceBrasil