Australia: Gala Fundraiser for Tom Quilty Gold Cup

Melbourne, Victoria, 2 June 2009

A gala auction night packed with prizes, promotions and sporting personalities will raise funds for the 2009 Tom Quilty Gold Cup.

The internationally renowned event is Australia’s biggest endurance ride and coming to Tonimbuk in September.

The fundraiser at the Cardinia Cultural Centre to be held on Saturday 11 July will set the scene for the main event with an evening of entertainment featuring live band Cover It.

"There will be lucky door prizes, a silent auction, sports memorabilia up for grabs and lots more," 2009 Tom Quilty Gold Cup event coordinator Lissy Verity said.

"It will be a great night out for everyone, not just for people with an interest in equestrian sports, so get a table together and join the fun."

Tickets cost $90 per person and include a two-course dinner and drinks with all proceeds going towards staging the Tom Quilty Gold Cup at Tonimbuk.

Council is a proud supporter of the event, a classic test of strength and skill as riders from around Australia and overseas compete to finish a 160km ride in 24 hours.

The ride committee together with the Cardinia Shire Council strongly encourages everyone to get behind this event. "It will not only help showcase the uniqueness of Cardinia to many people, this ride will also be great for the local economy as the influx of riders and their support crews utilise local goods and service providers," said Lissy.

Information/enquiries: Sue Cousin on 5629 2530, or call the Cardinia Cultural Centre direct on 1300 887 624. For more details about the Tom Quilty Gold Cup, including sponsorship opportunities, visit www.tonimbukgoldcup.org.au

Media enquiries or further information contact Paul Dunlop on 5945 4388 or Liz Roberts on 5945 4258.

Bahrain: Al Hazza sixth in France event

Gulf Daily News
June 1 2009


BAHRAIN's Ahmed Abdulla Al Hazza came sixth overall while host country's Laurent Mosti finished on top in the senior race of the Compiegne Ride championship held yesterday at the Compiegne Endurance Village near Paris.

Riding Kheopsy Du Pilat, Al Hazza completed this six-stage 160-km race in sixth place with a total ride time of eight hours, four minutes and 48 seconds with a speed average of 19.508 kms per hour.

The Bahrain team were led by Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation (Breef) president Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa.

Other riders were Al Khaldiya Stables captain Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Yousef Taher, Ghazi Al Dossary, Raed Mahmood Al Saad, Jaffar Mirza and Al Hazza.

The Bahrainis, who were represented by seven of its best riders, finished third overall behind champions France and runners-up Italy.

More than 70 riders from Spain, Belgium, Italy, Portugal, Switzerland, the UAE, France and Bahrain competed in this annual event which got underway at 7am (Bahrain time).

The event was part of the Bahraini team's preparations for the European Championship in Italy and World Championship in the US which will both be held next year.

The hosts dominated the race as Mosti was the eventual winner on Khandela Des Vialette. He was followed by compatriot Guy Dumas in second place and Jean Philip Frances, also of France, was third.

The Bahraini team encountered a series of unfortunate incidents by having several riders eliminated at different stages of the race.

Shaikh Khalid was out after the second stage after falling from his horse Waterlea Oliver. Shaikh Khalid, the Breef first vice-president, was taken to the hospital near the village for medial check-ups.

Pullout

Shaikh Nasser also had to pull out in the fourth stage after his horse Kango II was eliminated due to injury along with Taher and Al Dossary.

The other Bahrainis' placings were Mirza (8:11:55) in 13th place and Al Saad (8:26:47) 15th overall.

The championship also featured a race for junior riders held last Saturday and was over 130kms. It was won by Roman Lafaure of France with compatriots Justin Mourou and Laetitia Goncalves finishing second and third, respectively.

Yesterday's seniors race, which concluded at around 5.30pm, was followed by the prize-giving ceremony during which the top riders in both the race were honoured.

Shaikh Khalid started the race well and managed to complete the first stage in second place while Shaikh Nasser was ninth overall.

Caroline led the stage in 47:31 and with a speed average of 19.141 kms per hour. Third was Laurent Mosti (48:46), also of France, followed by compatriot Cecile Totain (48:51) in fourth place. Shaikh Nasser moved up to sixth while Shaikh Khalid went down to seventh.

Caroline maintained her strong performance in the second stage which also ended in her favour with a total ride time of 3:05:13. Mosti (3:06.05) jumped to second place and ahead of Frances (3:06.30) of France in third place. Shaikh Nasser made further progress by moving up to fifth.

No changes took place after the third stage where the same three riders held on to their positions with Carolin (4:44.08) keeping her lead as Mosti (3:44.49) and Frances (3:45.02) stayed second and third, respectively.

Totain (4:45.05) remained fourth and ahead of fifth-placer Shaikh Nasser (3:45.07).

In the fourth stage, Caroline (7:01.52) stayed on top. Mosti (7:02.23) was also second while Totain (4:45.05) leapfrogged Frances to clinch third spot.

The penultimate stage saw Caroline (8:42.22) extend her lead with Mosti (8:43.26) holding on top second while Dumas (8:03.53) steering Mohac to climb up to third while Totain (8:44.47) went down to fourth.

However, Mosti staged a superb comeback in the sixth and final stage where he took over the lead from Caroline.


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Bahrain: Shaikh Nasser leads Royal Team to Bronze

Bahrain News Agency

31 05, 2009

PARIS, MAY 31 (BNA) THE BAHRAIN ROYAL ENDURANCE TEAM FACED TOUGH CONDITIONS IN ITS FIRST PARTICIPATION IN THE COMPIEGNE SENIOR RIDE CHAMPIONSHIP (160 KM) TODAY AT THE COMPIEGNE ENDURANCE VILLAGE NEAR PARIS.
THE CONTINGENT, LED BY ROYAL TEAM CAPTAIN AND BAHRAIN ROYAL EQUESTRIAN AND ENDURANCE FEDERATION (BREEF) PRESIDENT SHAIKH NASSER BIN HAMAD AL KHALIFA AND HIS DEPUTY SHAIKH KHALID BIN HAMAD AL KHALIFA, CONFIDENTLY SECURED THE THIRD POSITION DESPITE THE EVENT'S GRUELING 160-KILOMETRE RACE DISTANCE. THE BAHRAINI TEAM IS PREPARING FOR THE EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP, ITALY, AND THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, USA, IN 2010. SHAIKH KHALID WAS INJURED WHEN THE HORSE FELL ON HIM, THE FACT THAT NECESSITATED HIS WITHDRAWAL FROM THE THIRD STAGE OF THE RACE FOR MEDICAL TREATMENT. ON HIS PART, SHAIKH NASSER WITHDREW FROM THE FOURTH STAGE OF THE RACE AFTER HIS HORSE HAD BEEN INJURED. THE RIDE FEATURED FIVE STAGES, BEGINNING WITH A DEMANDING 35KM OPENING LEG AND ENDING WITH A CLOSING STAGE OF FIFTH 20KM. SHAIKH NASSER'S ROYAL TEAM PARTNERS WERE BREEF FIRST VICE-PRESIDENT AND AL KHALDIYA STABLES CAPTAIN SHAIKH KHALID BIN HAMAD AL KHALIFA, YOUSEF TAHER, GHAZI AL DOSSARI, AHMED ABDULLA, RAED MAHMOOD AL SAAD AND JAFFAR MIRZA. DESPITE THE WITHDRAWAL OF SHAIKH KHALID FROM THE THIRD STAGE OF THE RACE AND SHAIKH NASSER FROM THE FOURTH, AHMED ABDULLAH STRUGGLED TO SECURE THE 6TH PLACE. TOUGH RIDERS SPAIN, BELGIUM AND HOSTS FRANCE WERE COMPETING IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP.

France: Mosti wins Compiegne 160 km Seniors Nations Cup

31 May 2009

France swept the first five positions in the Compiegne 160-km Seniors Nations Cup with Larent Mosti and Khandela Des Vialette taking first place by less than two minutes over Guy Dumas and Mohac. Finishing time was 7:52:43.

France also won the Gold in Equipes. Switzerland took the Silver, and the Bahrain team won Bronze.

More results, information, and photos at

www.endurance.net/international/France/2009CompiegneMay

and

the Compiegne website.

France: Lafaure wins Compiegne J&YR Nations Cup

Saturday, May 30 2009

Riding Kaltsoum Cabirat, French Young Rider Roman Lafaure won the 130 km CEIO** Junior/Young Rider Nations Cup in a tight galloping finish over fellow French riders Justin Mourou on El Abiad Dejalima and Laetitia Goncalves on Jasmina Des Ayssade.

France swept the first 6 positions, with Eulalia Gonzalez Guardia finishing 7th on Kacel.

32 of 51 riders finished the race.

Today the CEIO*** - 160 km Senior Nations Cup will take place.

Further coverage on Endurance.net.

2010 WEG: Planning WEG endurance course an endurance event in itself

TMCNet.com - Full Article

The Lexington Herald-Leader, Ky., Tom Eblen column

May 30, 2009 (The Lexington Herald-Leader - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Jamie Link may be the chief executive officer of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, but when it comes to riding horses, he's a novice.

So when he and other top Games officials recently saddled up to see part of the 100-mile endurance course being mapped out across farms surrounding the Kentucky Horse Park, Link was given a horse with two names.

One name was Rocket, which Link used frequently and emphatically as he maneuvered well alongside his more-experienced colleagues.

Others called his golden mount by a name indicating a more gentle nature, Buttercup.

This was a slow, four-mile ride over beautiful Mt. Brilliant Farm. But everyone was thinking about what it would be like for more than 80 competitors who will gallop over it in a day-long race against the clock on Sept. 26, 2010.

Endurance racing will be one of the most high-profile of the Games' eight disciplines, for a couple of reasons.

The race is scheduled for the second of the 16 days of competition and will be featured prominently, along with a recap of opening ceremonies, on NBC Sports' first hour-long telecast of the Games.

That show has the potential to be a spectacular video postcard for Central Kentucky's horse country -- not to mention the glamour of the Games.

But because the endurance race is so demanding, any televised deaths or serious injuries to horses have the potential to damage the reputation of equine sports in the eyes of a skeptical public.

More...

Bahrain: Bahraini riders gear up for French ride

Gulf-daily-news.com

Thursday, May 28, 2009

BAHRAIN's leading endurance horse riders have left for France to compete in this year's Compiegne Senior and Junior Rides starting on Saturday at Compiegne Endurance Village near Paris.

The Bahraini team will be led by Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation president and captain of the Royal Endurance Team Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa.

The squad consist of prominent young riders, including Breef first vice-president Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa who is also Al Khaldiya Stables leader.

This year's event began yesterday with the opening of the stables. Tomorrow a restaurant and the secretary's office will be inaugurated.

Rules

The first veterinary inspection for horses will also be held.

The Bahraini members will attend the riders weighing and will also be briefed on the rules and regulations.

On Saturday, the 130km junior ride will begin at 8.30am (Bahrain time) and is set to conclude by 5.30pm at the Equestrian Stadium while the awarding ceremony will take place at 6.30pm.

The senior race, which is over 160km, will be held the following day with a 8am start. It's expected to conclude at 5.30pm and will be followed by the prize-giving ceremony at 9pm.