General Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Minister of Defence, will be starting off in today's Emirates airline International Endurance Championship, to be held in Punchestown, Ireland along with a strong set of riders from the UAE .

The 120-km, CEI Two-star ride is one of Ireland's biggest endurance competitions and most of the top riders in the world are expected to take part.

To be run over five stages of 40, 30, 20, 20 and 10 kms each, today's event gets off to a mass start at 8 am, according to a press release from the UAE Equestrian and Racing Federation.

Sheikh Mohammed, whose last ride abroad came in September last year, helped the UAE win the team gold in the European Open Championship in Peruggia, Italy, will once again be leading the UAE riders who have established themselves as world-class performers.

The ride also kick-starts the preparation of many of those appearing today for the 2002 World Equestrian Games in September in Spain.

The recent winner in Australia, Sheikh Rashid bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, Sheikh Majid bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, Sheikh Saeed bin Hamdan Al Maktoum and Sheikh Rashid bin Hamdan Al Maktoum are among the other riders taking part in today's event.

Other UAE riders include Sultan bin Sulayem, CEO, Dubai Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation, Mubarak Khalifa bin Shafya, Saeed Abdullah Al Ketbi, Faisal Seddiq Al Mutawa, Ismail Mohammed, Mohammed Ali Al Shafar, Saif Ali Al Ketbi, Buti Saif, Ali Al Mohairi and Salim Mohammed Yafour.

Today's ride is of added importance as it is part of the prestigious FEI Emirates Endurance Worldwide Rankings and the new World Masters Series.

The Punchestown ride is also part of an ongoing International Sport Horse Show organised by Eventing At Punchestown Limited and sponsored by Emirates airline.

The show began on May 16 and concludes tomorrow.

The rider who finishes the distance first will get a prize money of £2,500, Second-placed rider will get £2,000 and the third and the fourth finishers will get £1,500 each. A prize money of £2,000 is on offer for the Best Conditioned Horse.

In addition to the Emirates Endurance Championship, the International Horse Show also included The IFG International Three-day Event, earlier known as The Punchestown International Horse Trials, Grand Prize show Jumping and the Paddy Power International Hunt Chase Relay Competition.

Punchestown is set in a natural amphitheatre of 500 acres in the scenic Kildare countryside. It is the oldest established National Hunt Racecourse in both Ireland and England.