Bahrain: Shaikh Nasser bags second place

Bahrain Gulf Daily News


ROYAL Endurance Team captain Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa came second in the 120-km Endurance Horserace Championship for the Kingdom of Bahrain Trophy held yesterday in UK.

Shaikh Nasser, the Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation (Breef) president, headed the five-member Bahraini team which included Shaikh Talal bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, Ahmed Abdulla, Raed Mahmood and Ahmed Abdulsamad.

Shaikh Nasser settled for second position after gruelling competition with Great Britain's Liz Taylor, who won the race.

As for the other Bahraini riders, Shaikh Talal took fourth-place ahead of Abdulla who came fifth, Mahmood sixth and Abdulsamad seventh. The event, which was the first for the Bahraini team this year and took place near Tottenham, consisted of three races over 80 kms, 120 kms and 160 kms.

The Royal Endurance Team took part in the 120-km race which was divided into four stages.

The first stage was over 40 kms, 30 kms for the second and third stages while the fourth stage was over 20 kms. After the race, Shaikh Nasser and other team riders were congratulated by His Majesty King Hamad. This event was part of the team's training programme in Europe which also includes participation in other races in the UK, France and Portugal.

The King of Malaysia to compete in Endurance ride in Australia

Equestrian Federation of Australia



Sultan of Terengganu, HRH Tuanku Mizan
EFA National Office, Friday, 25 May 2007

The Nanango CEI 3-Star 160 km International Endurance ride near Kingaroy in Queensland will have a royal competitor. The current King of Malaysia hopes to gain the necessary qualification to compete in the FEI World Endurance Championships, which will be held in his country next year.

As the Sultan of Terengganu, HRH Tuanku Mizan* was elected King of Malaysia at the Conference of Rulers in on 3 November 2006. He will serve as the Paramount Ruler of Malaysia for the next five years.

The 45-year-old King is a keen Endurance rider and will join an international field of riders and officials from New Zealand, Malaysia, Japan, Poland Great Britain, the United Arab Emirates and Australia in this ride.

The event is conducted by the Nanango Heritage Endurance Riders Association, a club of the Australian Endurance Riders Association (AERA), which is affiliated with the Equestrian Federation of Australia and governs the sport of Endurance on its behalf.

The ride itself will start at 5:00 AM on Saturday, 09 June 2007, at the Nanango Showgrounds. Most riders are expected to complete the distance of 160 km by late afternoon. A number of veterinary examinations at five so-called “vet gates” will ensure the horses’ welfare and assess their fitness to continue the ride.



*Note: The full name of the 13th Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia is Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin Ibni Almarhum Al-Sultan Mahmud Al-Muktafi Billah Shah Al-Haj.

Royal team gear up for France event

Bahrain Gulf Daily News


ROYAL Endurance Team delegation arrived in France for the Compiegne International Endurance Horseride Championship to be held on Saturday at Compiegne racecourse of the Equestrian Stadium, near Paris.

The race, which is over 160km, is regarded as a qualifier for Europe Endurance Horseride Championship to be staged in Portugal in September.

The team, captained by Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation (Breef) president Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, had taken part in the Europe 2005 edition championship which was held at the same venue and attended by His Majesty King Hamad.

Other team members include Shaikh Talal bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, Ahmed Abdulla, Raed Mahmood and Ahmed Abdulsamad.

Apart from Bahrain, 11 other nations have so far confirmed their entry for the championship. They are Algeria, Belgium, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Oman, Pakistan, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and the UAE.

Shaikh Nasser said the team have been always keen at taking part in these races to gain more experience despite the tough and inconvenient environment surrounding these venues.

The Breef chief said only four riders will compete in this race and will be chosen according to their fitness and physical conditions.

The five-member team have taken part in the 120-km Endurance Horserace Championship for the Kingdom of Bahrain Trophy which was held yesterday in the UK, near Tottenham, where Shaikh Nasser came second.

The Equestrian Stadium has a top quality circuit with excellent sandy tracks in the imperial forest of Compiegne and holds the 2004 record of participating nations - 19 nations and 87 competitors, half of them were foreigners.

Shaikh Abdullah in top form

Khaleej Times

28 May 2007

DUBAI - Shaikh Abdullah bin Faisal Al Qasimi produced top class form to win the hotly contested Dukeries 160km FEI in England. It was a splendid accomplishment for the winner of the individual bronze medal at the 2007 JYR World Championship. He was riding Castlebar Sobea on whom his brother finished 4th in JYR WC. This eight-year-old mare was bred in Australia by Meg Wade and Chris Cates

The ride location was in Nottinghamshire where lie the present day remains of Sherwood Forest, once the playground of kings and dukes. It originally comprised huge private estates, established by nobility in a 200-year shopping spree that used the profits from the industrial revolution. Clumber Park, Thoresby and Welbeck were the country seats of powerful dukes. Today, they are still known as 'The Dukeries'

From the start Shaikh Abdullah alongside his endurance trainer Anzag Mahmood Chaudhry rode at a smart pace averaging the fastest, 17.37kph, over the opening loop of 40km but a trio of British riders, including the third place finisher Susan Hawes, were determined to overcome the UAE challenge.

The foremost was Fiona Hamilton who held a fifteen minute lead over the UAE duo at the end of the fourth stage. But at the vet gate, the UAE horses made smart presentations that sent them out just three minutes behind.
It was a jubilant Shaikh Abdullah who crossed the finish holding the UAE flag just ahead of Chaudhry. This was the first time that both their horses Castlebar Sobea and Sergai had competed in a 160km ride. Shaikh Abdullah has now set his sights on being selected to represent the UAE at the 2007 Open European Championship due to be held in Portugal in September.

Six-member Royal Team for UK ride

Gulf Daily News - Bahrain

SIX-member Royal Endurance Team is in the UK to participate in the Endurance Horserace Championship for the Kingdom of Bahrain Trophy scheduled for today at 7.30am (Bahrain time).

The Bahraini team will be captained by Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation (Breef) president Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa and includes Khalid Al Ruwaie, Jaffer Mirza, Ahmed Abdulla, Raed Mahmood and Ahmed Abdulsamad.

The event, which will be the first for the Bahraini team this year, will take place near Tottenham and consist of three races over 80 kms, 120 kms and 160 kms.

The Royal Endurance Team will take part in the 120-km race which will be divided into four stages. The first stage will be over 40 kms, 30 kms for the second and third stages while the fourth stage will be over 20 kms.

Shaikh Nasser, accompanied by team rider Shaikh Daij bin Salman Al Khalifa, reached the race venue yesterday and was briefed about the race.

The Breef chief also watched the veterinary tests of the team horses ahead of the championship.

Shaikh Nasser later met with members of the team and team manager Dr Khalid Ahmed Hassan and stressed on the importance of this race which is named after Bahrain. Dr Hassan said the Bahraini team is expected to impress in this competition.

Australia: Clare completes hat-trick

Invernell Times

LOCAL endurance rider, Clare Fleming and her purebred Arabian gelding Mangueira Moksha have continued on their winning way following the recent Eden Creek Endurance Ride.

The pair (pictured below) won the Best Conditioned Horse Award for the third time this season.

The two vets that presided over the weekends' activities, examined Moksha an hour after he had finished the 80km ride.

He was deemed to be the winner, based upon his ability to be able to go on, his fitness, freshness and soundness.

It was a big weekend, with close to 100 horses completing in either the 40km training ride or the 80km Endurance Ride.

Earlier Clare rode her Anglo mare Birramalee Queen of Hearts in the 40km ride.

They completed successfully, with a ride time of just over three hours. They were presented with a thermos as a completion prize.

On Sunday morning, the 80km ride started in the cold and wet track following an inch of rain on the Friday evening.

Clare decided to take it easy for this ride, as she is planning to ride Moksha in the 110km International Trans Tasman Endurance Ride on the June long-weekend in Nanango, Queensland.

Clare and Moksha did the ride in just under six hours.

They took it steady, so as to avoid any leg injuries or muscle soreness, which might arise from riding and sliding about in the muddy conditions. Moksha passed all the vet checks and successfully completed the ride. Much to her surprise, Clare finished second in the Lightweight division, and was third rider across the finish line.

At presentation, Clare was given two bags of horse feed and a feed bin for her prizes.

FRA: National CEI** Championship Festival - Ribiers France

Alice Proust
Endurance.Net
Buchel Benoit riding Miette Coco raced to finish first in the qualification race for the upcoming World Endurance Championship for Young Horses.

(Detailed results: Complete Result(PDF).


The race was the first event of the 3 day Endurance Festival which will culminate in the race for the 2007 CEI** Championship of France which will be held Saturday on the same course.


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