Hamdan wins Giants' final round

Abu Dhabi: Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Crown Prince, won the third and final round of the Giants Endurance Challenge in testing weather conditions at Dubai International Endurance City Saturday.

Shaikh Hamdan partnered the 12-year-old grey mare Deen.

The first leg of the Giants Endurance Challenge was held in Abu Dhabi and the second in Bahrain. Yesterday's final leg, held over a gruelling distance of 160km, proved a major challenge for the riders as sand storms swept the course.

Shaikh Hamdan, who was third after the first stage, dropped one position in the next stage and then again moved up to second place after the third of the six stages. However from the fourth stage onwards, Shaikh Hamdan on Deen hit the lead and after that there was only one winner.

Uruguay's Frederico Zubiaurre on San Filipo finished second while Majid Khalfan Al Jahouri on Berlioz De Piboul was third.

His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, also took part in the ride.

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Speaking to reporters after his win, Shaikh Hamdan said, "It is a very good result. But for me all those who completed today's ride are winners for the conditions were very, very tough.

"I am happy with this win. From now on we will have to start our preparation for the world championship to be held in Kentucky in the US later this year. This is a good start to that preparation," Shaikh Hamdan said.

The UAE will be starting as one of the favourites in the endurance event of the World Equestrian Games to be held from September 25 to October 10. The endurance championship will be held on September 26 with a team of six riders from the UAE competing in both the individual as well as team event.

Shaikh Ahmad Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum had won the gold medal in the 2002 World Equestrian Games held in Jerez, Spain.