Sara storms to rousing victory

Abu Dhabi: Sara Mohammad Al Jaber rode her own horse, Highland View Dolly, and clinched a dramatic victory in the 100km Her Highness Shaikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Endurance Cup ride, the world's richest endurance event for women.

In third position at the start of the final 16km stage of the ride, Sara progressed well to overtake the front-running duo of Morocco's Maha Khalid and Eqypt's Noura Abdullah Ahmad Mahmoud and post a significant victory for the UAE on the eve of the country's 40th Anniversary.

Maha was a close second on Ramalea Captain Starlight while Noura on Edenfels Silver Sloux finished third.

The ride, organised by the Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Flat Racing Festival, carried a total prize purse of Dh800,000, the richest for a ladies-only event, and was open to riders from the Arab region.

It was a steady performance by the winning pair who were 9th after the end of the first loop of 33km and which she moved further ahead into third position at the end of the second and third loops of 27km and 24km respectively.

It was Maha Khalid who went out first followed by the Egyptian rider Noura but Sara on Highland View Dolly came up with an average speed of above 34km/h on the final 16km loop to just pip Maha and emerge as champion.

"This is a great win and the win is sweeter for it carries the name of our mother Her Highness Shaikha Fatima Bint Mubarak, Chairperson of the UAE's General Women's Union, and I am also proud that I won riding my own horse," said Sara, who had topped the UAE ladies event during last year's GCC Women's ride.

"The competition was tough but after the third loop my horse showed no signs of being tired so I pushed her and the chestnut mare obliged," said the winner who started along with 70 other riders at 6.30am at the Emirates International Endurance Village in Al Wathba.

Prize money

Sara completed the 100km ride in just 3 hours 31 minutes and 30 seconds at an average speed of 28.36 km/h. The winner took home a cheque of Dh200,000 while all other riders who completed the event took a share of the prize money.

Noura Al Suwaidi, director of the General Women's Union; Abdullah Al Qubaisi of the Abu Dhabi Authority of Culture and Heritage; Lara Sawaya, director of the Shaikh Mansour Festival; Adnan Sultan Al Nuaimi, director-general of the Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club; Ali Al Mulla of Areej Al Ameerat; Rafia Hilal Bin Drai of Mauzan took part in the prize distribution ceremony.

The riders and other officials marked National Day with a ‘Ladies March of Love' for the mother of the UAE, Shaikha Fatima, from the Baniyas Equestrian Centre to the Emirates International Endurance Village on Wednesday evening.

Top five:

• 1. Sara Mohammad Al Jaber (Highland View Dolly) 3hrs 31 mins 30 secs
• 2. Maha Khalid (Morocco) (Ramalea Captain Starlight) 3:31:31;
• 3. Noura Abdullah Ahmad Mahmoud (Egypt) (Edenfels Silver Sloux) 3:34.35;
• 4. Laila Abdul Aziz Al Reda (Magic Glen Karra) 3:42.56;
• 5. Shamsa Mohammad Al Mutawa (Zara Farm Chandali) 3:46.48.