Dubai: A post on young Qatari showjumper Hamad Ali Al Attiyah’s Twitter account declares: “If you don’t try you can’t succeed.”
On Saturday evening, the 19-year-old demonstrated his determination to be successful when he executed a stunning performance aboard LB Casanova, a bay stallion two years younger than him, to win a first-ever Emirates Airline Dubai Grand Prix, the highlight of the closing day at the Dubai Showjumping Championships CSI 3*-W.
In conditions that would inevitably bring out the best in the competitions at the Emirates Equestrian Centre, Al Attiyah had the audience on the edge of their seats when he soared over the jumps in an impressive time of 47.79 seconds to provide Qatar with a maiden victory in the event.
Al Attiyah’s teammate Yousuf Al Rumaihi was second aboard the ex-Australian star chestnut gelding Palloubet D Halong, while Morocco’s Abdelebir Ouaddar was third astride Quickly De Kreisker.
“This is the biggest win of my career and I am extremely thankful for the owners of my horse, the Qatar Armed Forces for bringing me here to compete,” said a delighted Al Attiyah.
“This was an amazing win and I am so proud of what we accomplished.”
The Dh245,000 centrepiece of the Dubai Showjumping Championship, part of the World Cup Arab League, featured a field of 42 entries representing 18 countries. The finals were contested by 11 competitors following the preliminary jump offs.
Earlier, leading French rider Michel Hecart upstaged a field of 63 entries as he guided Nodi De Brekka to victory in the Longines Accumulator. Hecart clocked 44.08 seconds in the event, which carried prize money of Dh100,000 and kicked off the final day of competition before a large crowd of show jumping enthusiasts.
Saudi Arabia’s Abdullah Al Sharbatli teamed up with Unique to take second in the tightly-contested event with a time of 44.27 seconds. Third place went to Joerg Naeve of Germany aboard Cosimax. The pair were timed at 44.51 seconds.
The Longines Accumulator is an event that allows competitors to choose the jumps they will attempt. Each of the fences cleared is worth a given amount of points based on difficulty. The winner is decided by the highest point total and fastest time.
Hecart’s weekend also included a win in the Dh100,000 Emirates Airline Two Phases on Thursday, the opening day of competition and a second place in the Gulf News Dubai Grand Prix Qualifier on Friday.
Al Sharbatli, a three-time winner of the Emirates Airline Dubai Grand Prix, also collected a win in the Gulf News Qualifier.