Hagis and Sleeper Give Worthy Effort at 2016 Longines FEI World Endurance Championships for Seniors

USEFNetwork.com

RELEASE: September 18, 2016
AUTHOR/ADMINISTRATOR: Dana Rossmeier

Samorin, Slovakia – The United States’ Meg Sleeper and Tom Hagis gave a strong effort across a rugged five-loop course at the 2016 Longines FEI World Endurance Championships for Seniors on Saturday. Although they rode with confidence, they were unable to overcome the vigorous challenges the course presented and were pulled at vet checks along the way. Spain won the Team Gold medal while Spain’s Jaume Punti took the Individual Gold medal, finishing the course with a time of 15:46:42 and at an average speed of 23.61 kph.

Sleeper (Frenchtown, N.J.) and Shyrocco Rimbaud progressed along the course at a safe pace. They made it through the fourth loop at 140 km before retiring for the best interest of the 2006 Anglo Arabian gelding. Tom Hagis (Fries, Va.) and his own Indian Reinman, a 2006 Arabian gelding, kept a steady pace but were pulled at a vet check following the third loop at 110 km. For this being Hagis’ first world championship, the developing endurance athlete acquired useful experience. Both athletes represented the U.S. well, effectively managing their horse’s health, and demonstrating the positive things to come for U.S. Endurance.

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Longines FEI World Endurance Championships 2016: Jaume Punti Dachs takes Spain to team and individual gold

In a day of weather that changed as often as the ride leaders, Spain’s Jaume Punti Dachs captured individual gold and led Spain to the team title at the Longines FEI World Endurance Championships 2016 in Samorin (SLK). (Miro Nota)
FEI.org

18 Sep 2016

By Pamela Burton

In a day of weather that changed as often as the ride leaders, Spain’s Jaume Punti Dachs captured individual gold and led his compatriots Alex Luque Moral and Angel Soy Coll to the team title at the Longines FEI World Endurance Championships 2016 in Samorin (SLK).

Punti Dachs, who also took team and individual gold at the European championships at the Samorin venue 12 months ago, had a perfect ride on the nine-year-old grey Twyst Maison Blanche to complete the 160km track in 06:46:42 with an average speed of 23.60 km/h.

Fellow Spaniard Alex Luque Moral and Calandria, the lovely 10-year-old grey mare that deservedly took the best conditioned horse award, were 50 seconds off the pace to take individual silver, with Bahrain’s HH Sheikh Nasser Bin Al Kalifa taking bronze with Waterlea Dawn Treader in a time of 06:49:47.

The Spanish led an all-European team podium, with France taking silver and the Netherlands holding on for bronze.

The track, which ran between the river Danube and the neighbouring canal, as well as through forestry and farmland, was flat and fast and the 134 starters set off at pace from the 6am mass start.

Punti Dachs was consistently in the top 10 over the first four loops, and the 47-year-old, who was a team gold medallist over the challenging Sartilly terrain at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2014 in Normandy (FRA), ended his day with a flourish to scoop double gold and add the world title to his European crown. His wife Maria Alvarez Ponton, who was vetted out after the second loop, previously held the two titles concurrently after winning European and world gold in 2009 and 2010.

Twyst Maison Blanche wasn’t the first horse across the finish line, but the final vet check is the real finish line and when both the United Arab Emirates runners, Napoli Del Ma (Saif Ahmad Al Mazroui) and Quran El Ulm (Ganem Abdullah Al Merri) were vetted out and Uruguay’s LG Muneerah wasn’t presented by Jonatan Rivera Iriarte, top honours went to Punti Dachs.

In fact none of the UAE team recorded a completion score, even though HH Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Al Maktoum and Ramaah had been at the head of the field throughout, until the 12-year-old gelding went out at the fourth vet gate. Sadly, Ajayeb, the 15-year-old chestnut mare ridden by Sheikh Hamdan’s team mate Sheikh Rashid Dalmook Al Maktoum, tripped and fell on the fourth loop of the track, suffering an irreparable injury to her right front leg and had to be euthanised.

“It was a very tough day”, Punti Dachs said. “There were magnificent horses in front of me, but endurance sometimes happens like this. You do everything right and then something goes wrong. It’s like life.”

It’s been something of a winning spree for Spain as their all-female team won the European Endurance Young Riders and Juniors Championships in Portugal earlier in the month.

Alex Luque Moral was thrilled to take team gold and individual silver in Samorin. “I slowed down to save my horse after the first fast loop, and then for the last loop, I decided to really have fun with my mare and show everyone what she could do after all the training for this championship.”

Angel Soy Coll, whose sixth-place finish sealed Spain’s victory, said: “I am very happy and very grateful to have been part of the team. It was a tough day but think I managed to do what was expected of me and my horse and get a good result for the Spanish team.”

Bronze medallist HH Sheikh Nasser Bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the only non-European on the podium, trained the 11-year-old Waterlea Dawn Treader for the championships at home in Bahrain and France. “The race was very difficult especially the third loop because of the humidity. I believed in my plan and it worked. My horse was not tired at all, he was perfect.”

See final Longines FEI World Endurance Championships 2016 scores: www.wech2016.com

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Namibia: Lanel scoops up second win in gruelling enduro race

Zoutnet.co.za - Full Article

18 September 2016
Written by: Isabel Venter

A local horse rider, 24-year-old Lanel van Nieuwenhuizen on her mare Jozami Zanica, dominated one of Africa’s toughest endurance races recently.

Competing in the African Endurance Championships on 24 August, Lanel came up against top riders from South Africa, Namibia and other countries. Not only did she finish the gruelling 122km in a winning time of 06:34, she clinched the overall first place.

This was the 10th time Lanel competed in Walvis Bay, Namibia, but not the first time that she had won this prestigious race. As well as taking third place in her category in 2013, she won the race overall in 2014 and managed a second place in last year’s race, taking the award for the Best Conditioned horse, as well as the Best of Best award. “Walvis Bay is definitely one of my favourite races on the endurance calendar,” said the well-travelled Lanel. She has competed on Zanica, as well as on unfamiliar horses on local shores and abroad. “But Walvis Bay, although tough on both rider and horse, is beautiful. For one part of the race, you find yourself in the desert. The next moment you get to see the flamingos flying over the ocean as you gallop alongside the waters,” said Lanel.

The African Championships, which started some 20 years ago, is hosted by the Namibian Endurance Ride Association (NERA), and saw 144 riders competing over 122km. The race is divided into five stages and sets off in the dark hours of the early morning...

Read more here:
http://www.zoutnet.co.za/articles/sport/38787/2016-09-18/lanel-scoops-up-second-win-in-gruelling-enduro-race

Slovakia: Spaniard wins FEI World Endurance Championship gold after three riders disqualified

Insidethegames.biz - Full Article

By Liam Morgan
Saturday, 17 September 2016

Spain's Jaume Punti Dachs sealed the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) World Endurance Championships title amid controversial circumstances on board Girola de Querchus in Samorin in Slovakia today.

The bizarre finish to the race began when Saif Ahmad Al Mazroui started to wave the United Arab Emirates flag as he crossed the line in first position, only for his horse Napoli Del Ma to be disqualified by the judges for an imperfect gait.

Jonatan Rivera Iriarte of Uruguay appeared well placed to secure the crown but the same fate befell his horse - LG Muneerah - meaning he was also disqualified.

Al Mazroui's compatriot Ganem Abdullah Al Merri was the third rider who thought he had done enough for victory only to have his hopes dashed as his horse Quran El Ulm was found to have a metabolic condition by the vet, ruling him out of contention.

Dachs, forced to deny allegations of wrongdoing back in 2013 when the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in Britain seized over 100 veterinary products from Moorley Farm East in Newmarket, finished the gruelling 160 kilometres course in a time of 6 hours 46min 42sec...

Read more here:
http://www.insidethegames.biz/index.php/articles/1041747/spaniard-wins-fei-world-endurance-championship-gold-after-three-riders-disqualified

Slovakia: Veteran Dachs follows in wife’s footsteps

Shaikh Hamdan leads a posse of riders with the historic Danube River in the background, during the FEI World Endurance Championships in Samorin, Slovakia - Image Credit: Dubai Media Office twitter
Gulfnews.com - Full Article

Spaniard claims Endurance gold in Slovakia as UAE’s hopes are dashed at final vet gate

Published: 21:42 September 17, 2016 Gulf News
By Leslie Wilson Jr Racing & Special Features Writer

Dubai: Jaume Punti Dachs, a veteran endurance rider and trainer, clinched the gold medal at the FEI World Endurance Championship in Samorin, Slovakia, as a spirited performance by the UAE’s Saif Ahmad Al Mazroui and Ganem Abdullah Al Merri, ended in heartache at the final vet gate.

Triumphantly waving the UAE flag, Al Mazroui crossed the finish line first following a final loop cat and mouse battle with Uruguay’s Jonatan Rivera Iriarte, only to see his horse, Napoli Del Ma, disqualified due to an imperfect gait.

Iriarte’s horse, LG Muneerah, suffered a similar fate which left third placed Emirati rider Al Merri in the number spot and anxiously awaiting the vet results. But as luck would have it.

Quran El Ulm was found to have a metabolic condition and was also disqualified.

Dach’s horse, the nine-year-old grey gelding Twyst Maison Blanche, passed the vet test ensuring he would emulate his wife, Maria Alvarez Ponton, who was a two-time World Endurance Championship in 2008 and 2010...

Read more here:
http://gulfnews.com/sport/horse-racing/veteran-dachs-follows-in-wife-s-footsteps-1.1897692

World Endurance Championship - USA Team Eliminated

by Merri Melde-Endurance.net

The USA Team of Meg Sleeper/Shyrocco Rimbaud and Tom Hagis/Indian Reinman vetted in healthy and sound for the 2016 World Endurance Championship in Slovakia today, but unfortunately vetted out during the ride. Indian Reinman was eliminated at the third vet gate for lameness, and Rimbaud was eliminated at the 4th vet gate for lameness.

"Fortunately neither lameness was severe and both horses will be fine to compete another day," Meg said.

"It is hard to put into words how one feels after a pull at this kind of event. It is awesome just to be selected to represent the USA, but of course the idea is to do well and there are so many people that give so much to make it possible for us to be here, it is rather demoralizing to feel like you are letting everyone down."

Meg's other horse, the mare Syrocco Rabia, finished 29th under Guatemala's Fernando Paiz Larrave in a time of 8:35.50. The other USA horse, Colin for Gold, owned by Valerie Kanavy and ridden by Japan's Hirofumi Ono, finished 47th and last in a ride time of 10:23.48.

42 of the 133 starters finished the race, for a completion rate of 35.3%.

Results and updates will be posted at:
http://www.endurance.net/international/Slovakia/2016WorldEnduranceChampionship/

Slovakia: All USA Horses Set to Start World Endurance Championship

September 16 2016

All the USA horses entered in the 2016 World Endurance Championship in Samorin, Slovakia, have passed the pre-ride vet inspection and will start the race Saturday morning at 6 AM.

Meg Sleeper will be riding her 10-year-old Anglo-Arabian gelding Shyrocco Rimbaud. Also owned by Meg, her 10-year-old mare Syrocco Rabia will be ridden by Guatemala's Fernando Paiz.

Tom Hagis will ride his 10-year-old Arabian gelding Indian Reinman.

And Valerie Kanavy owns the 10-year-old Arabian gelding Colin for Gold, which will be ridden by Japan's Hirofumi Ono.

132 horses are expected on the starting line. The event will be streamed live, and results will be updated here:
http://www.enduranceresults.info/longines/liveresults-view/?ride=1&id=307&date=20160918&timing=Longines&competition_file_nr=101

More information, photos and stories will be here:
http://www.endurance.net/international/Slovakia/2016WorldEnduranceChampionship/