Dubai: Shaikha Maitha Bint Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum's Desert Palm team won the prestigious Cartier International Dubai Polo Challenge on Friday.
Shaikha Maitha was a key member of the Desert Palm team which had impressed all week, coming to the final unbeaten and hot favourite for the trophy. In the thrilling final, Desert Palm narrowly defeated last year's winners Cartier 6.5-6.
Shaikha Maitha received the trophy and her winners' prize from the patron of this event, Princess Haya Bint Al Hussain, wife of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
She dedicated the trophy to Shaikh Mohammad as the model and mentor for all.
She expressed pleasure at winning the challenge at her debut participation in the event.
Four pro-am teams have been playing hard all week in this prestigious Cartier competition, now in its eighth year, and the many illustrious guests and team sponsors, Emirates NBD, CNN and Desert Palm were today treated to two displays of fast paced polo. This included an earlier subsidiary final, for the Desert Palm Trophy, in which CNN defeated Emirates NBD 7.5-6.
