Today's World Endurance Championship at the Dubai International Endurance City in Seih Assalam is all set to enter the Guinness Book of World Records as the biggest world championship for a single equestrian event.
The chief of the Ground Jury, Ian Williams said 178 horses from 41 countries remained in the fray and if that number does not go down drastically before this morning's 6am start, the record will hold.
The previous biggest single-event equestrian championship record was also held by the UAE when 162 riders from 37 countries took part in the 1998 edition.
The Federation of Equestre Internationale (FEI), the governing body of all equestrian sports except flat racing, had said that officials from the Guinness Book of World Records would be here today to witness and validate the record.
Meanwhile, John Robertson, the foreign technical delegate of the WEC, handed over control of the championship to the Ground Jury yesterday.
The top endurance official from Britain has been responsible for checking every aspect of the championship up to one hour before a pre-ride veterinary check yesterday. "I have handed over the task and this championship is heading towards a record-breaking event," Robertson said.
