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Baloushi brothers celebrate early Eid
Win Shaikh Rashid Bin Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Challenge and event for Junior and Young Riders.
- Staff Report
- Published: 23:53 December 6, 2008
- Omair Hussain Al Balouish (right), winner and Sultan Ahmad Al Balouish after the race.
- Image Credit: Abdul Rahman/Gulf News
Abu Dhabi: The Baloushi brothers celebrated an early Eid yesterday by completing a grand endurance double, winning the Shaikh Rashid Bin Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Challenge in Dubai and the event for the Junior and Young Riders in Abu Dhabi.
Sultan Al Baloushi led a superb one-two finish for the Abu Dhabi stables in the FEI 120-kilometre open race at Dubai International Endurance City and his younger brother Rashed, 14, completed back-to-back victories in the 100km junior race at the Boudthib Endurance Village.
Season-opener
They have now won five of six races, and all of the horses have been trained by Yousuf Ahmad Al Baloushi, the trainer of the stables' Al Ain wing.
Sultan won for the first time after Omair, his cousin, had won the season opener at Emirates International Endurance Village. Ali Khalfan Al Jahouri of the Al Wathba Stables won last weekend's race in Dubai to make it six-out-of-six for Abu Dhabi.
Both Sultan and Omair crossed the finishing line together in yesterday's race. Sultan on the 12-year-old Anglo Arab gelding Sharahd Talik completed the 120km trip in just over five hours with Omair on the eight-year-old Arabian gelding Hurst Ibn Hamed in second.
Khalifa Ganem Al Merri on Azurra was a further two minutes back in third for the Fazaa Endurance Team, followed by another Al Reef rider Mohammad Jasim Rahimi (Corleone) in fourth and the Dubai-based Spanish world champion Maria Alvarez Ponton (Halim) in fifth for the Emirates Stables.
Shaikh Rashid Bin Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum gave away the prizes that included three four-wheel vehicles for the first three riders, and cash awards for the top 20 finishers.
Results: Shaikh Rashid Bin Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Challenge
1. Sultan Al Baloushi (Sharahd Talik) 5hrs 00min 13sec 2. Omair Al Baloushi (Hurst Ibn Hamed) 5hrs 00min 14sec 3. Khalifa Ganem Al Merri (Azurra) 5hrs 02min 03sec 4. Mohammad Jasim Rahimi (Corleone) 5hrs 04min 06sec 5. Maria Alvarez Ponton (Esp) (Halim) 5hrs 10min 54sec.
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