Suffolk: The UAE and British riders shared the limelight in the third of the 2017 Euston Park endurance rides, the HH Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Endurance Cup Festival presented by Longines that took place in Suffolk on Saturday.
The UAE topped in four classes while the British riders claimed from second to fourth spots in the CEI 1* with second-placed Nikki Malcolm winning the Best Condition award and a prize of £3,000. The winner of the CEI 3*, Mansour Saeed Mohammad Al Faresi, was presented with a watch from The Longines Master Collection by Maxim de Turckheim, Brand Manager Longines UK & Ireland.
Altogether 87 riders from eight nations competed in CEI 3* 160Km, CEI 2* 120Km, CEIYJ 2* 120Km and CEI 1* 80Km (also run on July 21 along with two national classes).
Heavy rain overnight and more throughout the day made for testing conditions — very much in conrast to the heat wave experienced in June.
A British rider was injured after a fall on the course and taken to hospital but the injury is not serious and he is expected to be discharged on Monday.
The new pink loop, which went out to the King’s Forest and took in Queen Mary’s Drive, was very well received by the riders, providing a new challenge and some great tracks.
The staggered start was once again available in the CEI 1* 80km classes, with a number of riders taking advantage of it and most opting for the mass start.
Winners
CEI1* 80km (Friday): Naroa Calvo Ibanez (ESP) on AINHOA KESDOR; 3:42:47 (average speed of 21.55km/h)
CEI1* 80km (SAT): Shaikh Hasher Bin Mohammad Thani Al Maktoum (UAE) on B’Twin De Moons; 3:46:26 (average speed of 21.2km/h)
CEIJYR2* 120km: Suhail Ali Rashid Ali Al Gailani (UAE) on Razna Milin Riant; 5:10:32 (average speed 23.19km/h)
CEI2* 120km: Ganem Saeed Salim Al Owaisi (UAE) on Aspenview Amir; 4:46:19 (average speed 25.15km/h)
CEI3* 160km: Mansour Saeed Mohammad Al Faresi (UAE) on Ukirfolie; 7:56:52 (average speed 20.13km/h).
