Abu Dhabi: Al Jazeera-2 Endurance Stable’s Spanish rider Laia Soria Pinol, on board Sembra Rails, put up an impressive performance to clinch the CEN 100km race for the Shaikha Fatima Bint Mansour Al Nahyan Ladies Endurance Cup in 3 hours, 23 minutes, 02 seconds at the Emirates International Endurance Village in Al Wathba.
The race started with Alreem Al Mutawa on Buren Dah Orlando leading after two loops. Pinol made a slow but steady start and kept building on it — placed fourth after the second round and second at the end of the second last loop. However, she stepped up the pace 16km from finish to brush aside the challenge from Shaikha Shamsa Al Shamsi on Moolmanshoek Johny Boy to clinch the title.
Finishing third was Aya Abdulla Ali on Tiswan Fageole, who clearly kept the best for the last and made seven places up the ranks to finish on the podium. Al Mutawa had to be content with the fourth spot after dropping down to fifth at the end of the second last loop. In all, 88 riders took part in the event but only 37 completed the gruelling race.
“It wasn’t all that easy as it looked and I wouldn’t have won had it not been for a good horse. Obviously, I am very happy with the result and thank my crew for being behind me throughout the ride,” an elated Pinol said.
Lara Sawaya, director of Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Flat Arabian Horse Racing Festival, said: “The response for this race was overwhelming and we hope the numbers will keep increasing with the popularity of the ladies endurance rides.”
Uruguayan rider Jonathan Iriarte from the Al Ain Endurance Stables of Saeed Suhail Al Yabhouni won the Shaikh Mohammad Bin Mansour Al Nahyan Endurance Cup for Private Owners and Stables.
Iriarte and his 12-year-old grey Anglo Arab mare Al Salem was in control all through the race and always amongst the top three. In the final 16km loop, Saeed Mohammad Al Jaber on Mariba Moontrip was expected to build on his lead that he managed in the last two loops. However, Iriarte got the better of Al Jaber in the final loop to clinch the title. Abdulla Ganim Al Merri on Castlebar Tailwind came third.
“I wasn’t far off the pace at any stage in the race and I knew I had a chance going into the last loop. In this type of races, you need to stay as close as possible with the leading horses and that’s exactly what my instructions were. Of course, you need a good horse to do that, and I was on a super mare,” a beaming Iriarte, who won a purse of Dh500,000, a car and Rolex watch, said.
