Dubai: The three-day Dubai Showjumping Championship gets under way at the Emirates Equestrian Centre on Thursday with a whopping Dh750,000 prize fund and crucial World Cup qualification points on offer.
The show, which features Olympic calibre rider and horse combinations, including members of the Saudi Arabian bronze-medal-winning team, also showcases the internationally-successful Dubai Showjumping Team and UAE Olympian, Shaikha Latifa Bint Ahmad Bin Juma Al Maktoum.
The renowned CSI 3*-W show is part of the prominent Arab League and is supported by Emirates as official airline, Longines as official timekeeper and Gulf News as the official newspaper.
The three days of competition are highlighted by the Dh150,000 Gulf News Dubai Cup, a qualifier for the Dubai Grand Prix, the adrenaline-charged Dh65,000 Longines Speed Stakes and the Dh100,000 Longines Accumulator, which all build up to the final-day Dh245,000 Emirates Airline Dubai Grand Prix when successful riders can win highly prized Longines FEI World Cup Jumping qualification points.
With top show jumpers such as Dubai Equestrian Club’s Longines FEI World Cup and Asian Games rider, Abdullah Al Merri, and fellow team members, Arif Ahmad, Omar Khoury, Mohammad Ketait and Ahmad Falaknaz riding into the ring alongside 2010 World Equestrian Games silver medal winner and 2012 Olympic team bronze medallist, Abdullah Al Sharbatli from Saudi Arabia, spectators are guaranteed the best show jumping action the region has to offer.
Shaikh Majid Al Mualla, Emirates’ Divisional Senior Vice-President, Commercial Operations said: “Emirates is a global connector of people, places and passions and our continued sponsorship of the Dubai Showjumping Championship enables people with similar sporting passions to come together and enjoy what is becoming a highlight of the regional sporting calendar.”
Longines’ President Walter von Kanel added: “We are very proud to be the official timekeeper of the 2014 Dubai Show Jumping Championship. Our brand is very much involved in this amazing sport as we are the first top partner of the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) and the title partner of the Longines FEI World Cup Jumping.”
Duleep George, Executive Director Strategy & Marketing Gulf News, said: “The Dubai Show Jumping Championship is one of the highlights of the annual sporting calendar. It is three days of thrills and fun for spectators from the ardent show jumping enthusiasts to children, there is so much to enjoy. We have been associated with this event since its inception and take great pride in this relationship.”
Mohammad Eisa Al Adhab, Deputy General Manager of Meydan Group’s Dubai Equestrian Club, which oversees the EEC, paid tribute to the high class of performer that the Dubai Showjumping Championship attracts every season.
“This CSI3*-W show is the seasonal showjumping highlight at Emirates Equestrian Centre and its status is reflected in the calibre of competitors that it attracts every year,” he said. “We look forward to three days of exciting competition from some of the best horse and rider partnerships in the UAE and the wider region.
Al Adhab also invited spectators to enjoy the annual event.
“As well as the best show jumpers in the GCC, spectators can take advantage of three days of family-friendly entertainment. At EEC we pride ourselves on catering for everyone and we encourage showjumping and horse lovers as well as the simply curious to come along and take advantage of the entertainment on offer.”
