Abu Dhabi: For the second day in succession Abdullah Ghanim Al Marri was denied victory as Saif Ahmad Al Mazroui stole the honours in the CEN 120km Emirates Championship (Open) endurance ride at the Emirates International Endurance Village in Al Wathba, Abu Dhabi.
Al Marri finished runner-up to his Fazza Stables 3 team-mate Ganem Saeed Salim Al Owaisi in the CEN 120km Shaikh Rashid Bin Hamdan Al Maktoum Challenge Festival at the same venue on Friday his bid to make amends were thwarted by teenager Al Mazroui who is rapidly making a name for himself on the endurance circuit.
Riding Splendacrest Adage from the MRM Stables Al Mazroui crossed the finish line a split second ahead of Al Marri to stop the clock at four hours 17.01 seconds.
Al Marri, aboard AS Emponchado was timed at 04:17.02 seconds while Salim Said Al Owais on Terminator Te was third, a further one second behind.
Splendacrest Adage, a 10-year-old grey gelding trained by world championship winning trainer Ismail Mohammad, produced a consistent display over the four stages of the ride which attracted 93 entries.
Al Mazroui, who was in third place at the end of the 40km first loop, grabbed the lead in the second loop which he did not relinquish for the remaining two loop over a shorter distance of 20km each. He timed an average speed of 28.01 kmph over the 120km ride.
It was a heart-warming sight to see the top three riders acknowledge each other’s performance by joining hands in a sporting gesture as they approached the finishing line.
Shaikh Hamad Dalmook Juma Al Maktoum on Carawan finished fourth as the UAE riders dominated their rivals for the second successive day at Al Wathba.
France’s Maeva Valentin, riding Dahoman XI, was fifth in 04:22.25s while Argentina’s Catalina Bastons, aboard HM Guerrero, brought up the sixth place in a time of 04:25.40s.
The first six riders were all awarded a 4WD vehicle each.
Lara Sawaya, Executive Director of the Shaikh Mansoor Festival said, “The HH Shaikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival enters a busy phase with the Zayed Cup at St Moritz in Switzerland, the International Federation of Horse Racing Academies (IFHRA) meeting in Abu Dhabi next week and the prestigious HH The President’s Cup 160km endurance championship here in Al Wathba [Feb 14].”
