Abu Dhabi: 110 Riders to Vie for Honours in FEI 120-km Sourouh Cup Endurance Championship

Khaleejtimes.com

(KT Report)

15 November 2008

ABU DHABI -The stage is set for the FEI 120-km Sorouh Cup Endurance ride which will be held at the Emirates International Endurance Village at Al Wathba on Saturday.

Over 110 riders will take part in the event.

“We thank Sorouh Real Estate who are supporting this event for the second year and we are expecting all the top riders to take part on Saturday,” said Adnan Sultan, Director General of Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club.

“A total prize money of Dh 300,000 and a car for the winner will be up for grabs in the ride which will be held in five stages,” said Adnan.

“We have also instituted two awards for the best rider and the best trainer for all the rides to be held here at Al Wathba.”

Mohammad Al Marzouqi, HR and Administrative Director of Sorouh, said: “We would like to place on record our gratitude to Shaikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Presidential Affairs, for giving us another opportunity to support equestrian sport.

“This is the second year that we are supporting this event and what makes it all the more important is that Saturday’s Sorouh Cup will kick start the Open competition in the UAE’s 2008-09 endurance season,” he said.

“Endurance riding is so closely linked to the community, which has a deep-rooted affinity with horses, which is why Sorouh is keen to support and promote this equestrian sport.”

Lara Sawaya, Managing Director of Tasweeq Management, said the Sorouh Cup would see that start of a promotional campaign for the breeding stables of Shaikh Mansour.

“This is the first in a promotional campaign which will see Sorouh and other companies involved in promoting the breeding stables of Shaikh Mansour.

“The campaign will also include organising seven races around the world for Purebred Arabian horses.”

The Sorouh Cup trophies have been designed specially by a top company in Los Angeles, according to Sawaya.

2008 FEI World Endurance Championship- A final story

I think that this event represented the maturity of our sport at the International level. It was a very tight race - a tightly contested race. I'm not sure how much more advantage can be gained in future events by 'getting better' at any single aspect of competition. With more things being equal (training, nutrition, crewing, strategy) we are beginning to see the true brilliance and athletic ability of the horse and the skill and horsemanship of the rider prevail.

I have written many many words about this event, about Malaysia as host, about the efforts behind a WEC. This link will take you there -

WEC wrap up - Steph's view

Congratulations to all who endeavored and to all who succeeded!

Steph Teeter
Endurance.net

Jordan: Mohammad wins endurance race in Aqaba

Gulfnews.com

WAM
Published: November 14, 2008

His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, was crowned the champion of the 120 km International Al Hussain Endurance Race which was held on Friday in the Jordanian Rum Valley in Aqaba.

Shaikh Mohammad, riding “Kumait- Kevin De Narzox” won in a time of 4 hours, 59 minutes and 55 seconds.

Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai’s Crown Prince was second place, in a time of 4:59min and 56 secs.

Shaikh Majid Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, finished third after clocking 4:59 mins and 57 seconds.

Shaikh Mohammad received the Golden Sword trophy from Princess Alia Bint Al Hussain, Chairperson of the Royal Jordanian Equestrian Union.

Shaikh Hamdan and Shaikh Majid also received their trophies from Princess Alia. A total of 75 riders representing Syria, Egypt, Italy, Spain, Jordan and the UAE took part in the five-phased endurance race.

UAE: Mohammad leads UAE squad to Jordan

Gulfnews.com - Full Article

November 13, 2008

Al Aqaba, Jordan: His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, yesterday arrived in Al Aqaba, Jordan, accompanied by UAE jockeys - champions of the International Endurance Race in Malaysia.

The jockeys will take part in the International Endurance Race, hosted by Jordan from today (Friday), with the participation of tens of jockeys.

More...

[WEC Reports] Spain Wins Individual Gold as U.S. Battles Illness and Elements

USEF.org

Release: November 12 2008

Terengganu, Malaysia - Besting a Championship field of riders, Spain's Maria Alvarez Ponton galloped home to Gold on Nobby, with a ride time of 8:48:06. Argentinean rider, Agustin Vita, riding Baraka Ibn Al Tamah won Silver, and Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem of the United Arab Emirates, gained the Bronze on Tazoul El Parry at the 2008 World Endurance Championship held at Terengganu, Malaysia, on the edge of the South China Sea. Nobby and Ponton were also awarded the Best Condition. The first ten riders finished within one hour of the winning time. The Gulf Countries of the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain swept Team Gold, Silver and Bronze respectively.

Kathy Brunjes riding Theatric was the first and only member of the United States team to finish in 24th position while Valerie Kanavy riding Flash Flame came in shortly after her in 25th place. The six member U.S. squad finished one team and one individual rider after an exceptional run of bad luck. Team member, John Crandell riding Saba Shams, was eliminated at Gate Two for lameness. Cheryl Dell, riding one of the highest rated horses, Reason To Believe, was stricken with a debilitating illness and had to withdraw at the same gate. Early in the ride, a heavy rain storm caused flooding on the trail, but it was the bolt of lightning that finished off the team. When lightning struck a tree as Jan Worthington on the aptly named, Golden Lightning, and Meg Sleeper on Syrocco Reveille, traveled through the water on the trail, the horses received the shock. The horses were flipped end over end, dumping riders and gear. Fortunately, no one was badly hurt at the time, but the scrapes and bruises on the horses took their toll over the remaining 70 miles, and both horses were eventually eliminated for lameness. Forty-eight horses finished the ride of the 127 starters.

United States Equestrian Federation Director of Endurance Vonita Bowers said, "We had a plan and stuck to it, but we had some bad luck. The horses were very ready. We had no metabolic issues and we had good recoveries. We knew the speeds that we wanted to go and we stuck fairly close to those speeds. Except for the unforeseen things such as illness and lightning, we rode our ride the way we planned. The selection process gave us the best horses and the best riders, and the training session system of selection worked well."

Chef d'Equipe, Becky Hart commented, "In spite of the outcome, a lot of good things happened here. Everyone worked like a team; when a rider was pulled, they pitched in to help. We are now moving onward and making plans for Kentucky."

Held once every two years, the 2008 FEI World Endurance Championship was staged from the Terengganu International Endurance Park (TIEP) in Lembah Bidong, situated on the South China sea on the coastline north of Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia. 129 riders from 32 countries were invited to compete. The sponsorship and location were promoted by avid endurance rider, the King of Malaysia, Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Wathiqu Billah Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin Ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Mahumud Al-Muktafi Billah Shah. The world's top riders were joined by members of the Royal families of Bahrain and Dubai.

Due to the tropical climate, the 160 km event began at 5:30 p.m. and ran throughout the night.

The U.S. Training Squad is already preparing for the 2010 Endurance Championship ride to be held as part of the World Equestrian Games in Lexington, Kentucky. This is the 3rd time the United States has hosted the World Endurance Championship. It was held at Front Royal, Virginia, in 1988 and in Fort Riley, Kansas, in 1996.

--
Posted By Merri to WEC Reports at 11/13/2008 12:08:00 AM

UAE: Open competition of the endurance season set to begin

Gulf News

By M. Satya Narayan, Senior Reporter
Published: November 12, 2008, 00:02

Abu Dhabi: Over 100 riders are expected to kick start the open competition 2008-09 season at the Sorouh Cup to be held at the Emirates International Endurance Village on Saturday.

"We thank Sorouh Real Estate who are supporting this event for the second year and we are expecting all the top riders to take part on Saturday," said Adnan Sultan, Director General of Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club.

"A total prize money of Dh300,000 and a car for the winner will be up for grabs in the FEI 120-km ride which will be held in five stages," said Adnan.

"We have also instituted two awards for the best rider and the best trainer for all the rides to be held here at Al Wathba."

Mohammad Al Marzouqi, HR and Administrative Director of Sorouh, said: "We would like to place on record our gratitude to Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Presidential Affairs, for giving us another opportunity to support equestrian sport.

"This is the second year that we are supporting this event and what makes it all the more important is that Saturday's Sorouh Cup will kick start the Open competition in the UAE's 2008-09 endurance season," he said.

"Endurance riding is so closely linked to the community, which has a deep-rooted affinity with horses, which is why Sorouh is keen to support and promote this equestrian sport."

Promotional campaign

Lara Sawaya, Managing Director of Tasweeq Management, said the Sorouh Cup would see that start of a promotional campaign for the breeding stables of Shaikh Mansour.

"This is the first in a promotional campaign which will see Sorouh and other companies involved in promoting the breeding stables of Shaikh Mansour.

"The campaign will also include organising seven races around the world for Purebred Arabian horses."

The Sorouh Cup trophies have been designed specially by a top company in Los Angeles, according to Sawaya.

Horse sport body appoints Lexis

Brandrepublic.com

by Matt Cartmell, PR Week UK 10-Nov-08, 10:16

The Federation of International Equestrianism (FEI), the international governing body of horse sport, has appointed Lexis Sport to provide consultancy work.


The FEI is responsible for a variety of different horse sport disciplines ranging from show jumping and eventing through to more niche sports such as carriage driving and endurance.

This is both the first win for Lexis’s new head of sport Will Oscroft and the agency’s first sports commercial consultancy.

Oscroft said: ‘It is a constant challenge to expand the appeal of these sports to reach out to new audiences whilst capitalising on the commercial value within each sport.’

Oscroft added that Lexis will be working closely with the commercial department of the FEI to capitalise on the fact that horse sport appeals to an up-scale family audience and that it is one of the only Olympic sports when men and women compete on equal footing.

The FEI is also expanding its event-based sponsorship opportunities within jumping and dressage, as well as capitalising on the increasing demand for content through the development of a web TV platform.