Teenager Al Mazrouei steals show in the 11th edition of HH Shaikh Mohammad Endurance Cup

Dubai: Teenager Saif Al Mazrouei stole the thunder in the 11th edition of HH Shaikh Mohammad Endurance Cup on Saturday. Al Mazrouei, aboard Nopoli Del Ma, emerged victorious in the CEI 3* 160-km event, presented by Longines, at the purpose-built Dubai International Endurance City.

The HH Shaikh Mohammad Endurance Cup headlines the four-day HH Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Endurance Cup Festival, which opened on December 28 and concluded on Saturday.

“This was a very important race for me to win, because it is named after His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and we are so proud to have won this race. My horse Nopoli Del Ma is a champion horse, and this is definitely the biggest win of my career,” the 18-year-old rider said.

Shaikh Hamdan also won the 2016 running of the prestigious competition, while last year Humaid Matar Rashid Al Mazrouei emerged victorious aboard Rajas.

The the 160-km ride on Saturday had 360 competitors starting the ride, from 44 countries with former European champions and former world champions joining a host of local and international horse-rider pairings in the competition. The first group of riders embarked upon the 160-km, five loop course at 7 AM, with the sun rising in the backdrop. The distances for the five loops were 40-km, 35-km, 35-km, 32-km and 18-km respectively.

The HH Shaikh Mohammad Endurance Cup Festival opened with the two Azizi Developments-sponsored rides. The first was a CEN 100-km race, restricted to private stables and individuals on December 28, which was won by the UAE rider Gaith Abdul Saqer on board his champion horse, nine-year-old bay Al Adham. The pair completed the 100 kms in a timing of 03:16:32.

This was followed by the CEN 100-km HH Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Cup for Ladies on December 29, where Polish rider Kamila Kart aboard nine-year-old Razorback Mechano emerged victorious. Kart, who rides for MRM stables, completed the 100-km three loop ride with Razorback Mechano in 03:11:11.

A day later, the Al Tayer Motors-sponsored CEN 120-km Gamilati Cup for Mares added variety to this unique event. Rashid Hamoud Al Junaibi and his mare, Eo Raghd, emerged victorious and completed the 120-km ride with a timing of 04:28:15.