UAE’s Own Almarri Wins Prestigious Longines Al Shira’aa Grand Prix

Dubai, UAE, January 14, 2019:  This year’s edition of the Al Shira’aa International Horse Show has drawn to a spectacular close with the UAE winning the prestigious CSI4* Longines Al Shira’aa Grand Prix. The two-round class concluded with a crowning ceremony, where the cup winner was awarded €15,500 (25% of the total prize pool of €62,000).

30 riders competed in the first round on a daring course that had 150-160 cm jumps. Eight riders made it to the second round, where only two riders finished without faults. Cup winner, Abdullah Al Marri, finished the round on ‘Sama Dubai FBH’ (12 years old) without faults in 33.07 seconds. His performance is indicative of his experience and deep understanding of the course and its jumps, and best methods of tackling the highest jump of 160 cm. His quick time and flawless performance left the 2018 Cup holder, Sweden’s Henrik Von Eckermann, fighting to defend his title on his 9-year-old gelding, ‘Peter Pan’. Eckermann spared no effort to shave seconds off the clock but could only complete the course in 33.35 seconds. The third place went to 2018’s UAE President Cup holder (CSI5*), Saudi Olympian Ramzy Al Duhami on 11-year-old gelding, ‘Ted’. Al Duhami took the course after Al Marri, finishing the second round in 33.32 seconds with four faults.

Another exciting addition to this year’s show was the Emirates Motor Company Al Shira’aa Derby – the first time a class of this kind has ever been held in the UAE. This competition is an equestrian favorite as it showcases the skills of the riders and capabilities of their horses. Al Shira’aa Derby was a one round competition on a 14-jump course, with one triple and double jumps, totaling 17 efforts. Jumps height varied between 130-135cm, with half constituting natural obstacles. It was the ultimate test of rider skill and ability to correctly navigate the course, racing against the clock to finish the fastest, with the least number of faults. The Emirates Motor Company awarded the winner a Mercedes GLA 220, and €25,000.

68 riders participated in the derby, with only nine riders completing with clear rounds. The UAE’s Hamad Ali Al Kirbi recorded the best time on ‘Uxmal D'ysieux’, finishing in 81.09 seconds and winning a brand-new Mercedes. Mohammed Al Hajri on ‘Doklahoma Vdl’ came in second place in 82.73; while third place went to Hickstead Champion, William Funnell, on ‘Billy Mccain’ in 82.92 seconds. Abdul Jalil Al Fahim and Mohammed Al Fahim from Emirates Motor Company awarded the winners and explained that the company’s sponsorship aims to support the great efforts of developing show jumping. This award is only the beginning and aims to encourage riders to further develop their skills in this sport.

Saudi Arabia also had some notable wins as young rider, Khaled Abdulrahman Almobaty, won the Abu Dhabi Sports Council Classic Stakes on the last day of the Al Shira’aa Show. This one round with a jump-off included 135 cm jumps and witnessed the participation of 54 riders. 18 riders finished with clear rounds, while seven riders only completed the jump-off round without faults. On 8-year-old ‘Garizona’, Khaled Abdulrahman Almobaty completed the round in 35.51 seconds; while Irish rider, Trevor Breen, came in second place on ‘Escapade H’ finishing the jump-off in 35.63 seconds, and third place went to Kuwait’s Talal Al Zahem, who finished in 35.85 on ‘Coraggiosa 2’.

Overall, the Al Shira’aa International Horse Show was an eventful day for the entire family with its Al Shira’aa Village. Activities ranged from pony rides, a craft station for children, face painting, a musician, a photo booth, a demonstration by Parkour DXB, and a 90-minute dog agility show, and many more. There were also numerous food trucks and tack shop pop-up stands for visitors to enjoy.

Other Key Event Highlights

Salim Ahmed Al Suwaidi and ‘Diamond Way’ Win the Opening of CSIYH1* 
Salim Ahmed Al Suwaidi won in the 125 -130 cm jump Cavalor Young Horse Welcome Stakes (CSIYH1*), riding a clear round in 56.83 seconds, on ‘Diamond Way’ (7 years). 33 riders competed in the round, 16 of which rode clear rounds. Greek rider, Dimitri Natsis on ‘Cascall’ came second recording 58.17 seconds; while Danish rider Tina Lund came third on ‘Celvita Z’, finishing in 60.13 seconds. 

Abdulrahman Alnemr Scores first CSI4* Win
The third edition of Al Shira’aa International Show Jumping Championship CSI4*, sponsored by Al Shira’aa Stables, opened with one round competition with 130cm jumps. 77 riders took part in the round, with 29 completing clear rounds. Saudi rider Abdulrahman Alnemr on ‘Beverly Girl’ was able to complete a clear round in 51.12 seconds, winning the first place. The second place went to Jordanian rider, Nasouh Kayali, on ‘Adette’ in 52.27 seconds; leaving third place to Danish rider Tina Lund on ‘Payse Heutiere’, with 55.41 seconds. 

Commenting on his win, Alnemr said: “My goal was to complete a clear round in a competitive time. ‘Beverly Girl’ has been with me for the past 5 years, and we were able to achieve great results recently in Al Ain and Abu Dhabi championships.”

Al Hajri and ‘Doklahoma Vdl’ Win the First Day’s Competitions
Mohammed Ghanem Al Hajri on ‘Doklahoma Vdl’ was able to snatch the first day's win in the CSI4* competitions sponsored by Yas Channel. The round followed jump-offs speed round rules with 140 cm jumps. 40 riders competed in the round, with 19 completing clear rounds. Al Hajri was able to win the first place with 57.66 seconds; leaving second place to Italian rider, Emilio Bicocchi, on ‘Faliane W’ with 59.47 seconds. In third place came Jordanian rider, Ahmed M.N. Mansour, on ‘Estoril De Vardag’, finishing the round in 60.02 seconds.

Irish Rider, Shane Breen, on ‘Can Ya Makan’ Wins First Round of CSI4* Jump offs
The first day's competitions, sponsored by Meadow Court, concluded with one phase round with a jump-off. 49 riders took part in the round, which was held on a course of 145 cm jumps. 12 riders qualified for the jump-off, and Irish rider Shane Breen on ‘Can Ya Makan’ was able to win the first place with 37.11 seconds. The second and third places went to German rider, Philipp Weishaupt, on ‘Belo Horizonte’ (38.05 seconds), and Swedish rider Henrik Von Eckermann on ‘Que Bueno De Hus Z’ (38.77 seconds), respectively.

Abdulla Hamad Al Kirbi Wins the CSICh Qualifiers 
On the second day of the Al Shira’aa Championship, the first round was sponsored by Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Sports Academy (FBMA). The round constituted the third and last UAE phase, qualifying for CSICh for the age group within FEI REGIONAL GROUP - GROUP VII. The finals will be held during H.H. Sharjah Ruler Cup International Show Jumping Championship between late January and early February. The single-phase qualifying round for children riders was held on a course of 115 cm jumps saw the participation of six riders. Two Emirati riders were able to complete clear rounds. The first place went to Abdulla Hamad Ali Al Kirbi on ‘Lover Des Patis’, while the second place went to Rashid Dherar Al Thani on ‘Feline S’.

Ali Hamad Al Kirbi wins the CSIJ Qualifiers 
The final qualifier for the CSIJ was sponsored by FBMA, with one phase on a course of 130 cm jumps. 25 riders participated, with only four completing clear rounds. The first place went to Ali Hamad Al Kirbi on ‘Catch the Wind II’, scoring 55.97 seconds. Jordanian rider Mohammad Amjad Al Mommani on ‘Evyra’ came in second place with 56.98 seconds; while Austria’s Dominic Nazir Bechara on ‘Franciscus Sylt E’ finished in third place in 58.81 seconds.

Emirati Riders Win the Young Riders Competition
The second day of Al Shira’aa International Show Jumping Championship included the qualifiers of the age group within FEI REGIONAL GROUP - GROUP VII. 13 riders took part in the first round, held in one phase with 130 cm jumps. Seven riders were able to finish clear rounds, with Emirati riders sweeping the top three places. Saeed Al Maazmi on ‘Al Commandos’ won first place finishing in 56.35 seconds, while Humaid Abdulla Khalifa Al Muhairi on ‘Corando 11’ finished second in 57.92 seconds and Moufi Owaida Al Karbi on ‘Pogba’ won the third place with 58.49 seconds.

Jordanian Rider Nasouh Kayali Wins the First of Two Phases
The riders moved to participate in the first round of CSI4* with two phases on a course of 130 cm jumps, sponsored by the Z7 team. 86 riders participated in the competition, with 33 riders completing a clear round. Jordanian rider Nasouh Kayali on ‘Adette’ completed the second phase in 27.05 seconds, while Saudi rider Waled Alghamdi on ‘Cenieta’ finished in 28.56 seconds and won the second place; leaving his countryman Abdullah Alsharbatly on ‘Quinlan’ in third place finishing in 28.71 seconds.

Bisharat the First to Qualify for Grand Prix
The second day’s competitions concluded with the Grand Prix qualifying round, as a one phase with jump-offs under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak (Mother of the Nation). The round was held on a course with 150 cm jumps. The round included 46 riders, nine of which were able to complete the round with no faults, and entered the jump-off phase. Five riders scored clear jump-offs, with the best time of 36.40 seconds and first place achieved by Jordanian rider, Ibrahim Hani Bisharat, on ‘King of Diamond’. In second place came Italian rider Paolo Paini on ‘OTTAVA MERAVIGLIA DI CA' SAN G’ in 37.27 seconds; while the third place went to Czech rider Anna Kellnerová on ‘Silverstone G’ finishing the jump-off in 37.69 seconds.

Salim Ahmed Al Suwaidi Wins the CSIYH1*
Salim Ahmed Al Suwaidi and ‘Diamond Way’ (7 years) held on to the first place in the second round of Cavalor Young Horse CSIYH1* with one phase and a jump-off on a course with 130 - 135 cm jumps. The round included 31 riders, and six of them were able to complete the first phase without faults; while three completed a clear jump-off phase. Salim Ahmed Al Suwaidi and his horse ‘Diamond Way’ were able to finish the jump-off in 37.25 seconds, winning the first place. Alice Debany Clero from the USA, with her horse ‘Hera Fbh’ won second place with 37.62 seconds, and third place went to Denmark’s Jessica Toelstang and the horse ‘Cessna’ finishing the jump-off in 39.58 seconds.

Egyptian Moustafa Elzayat Wins Children Qualifier Round
Egyptian rider Moustafa Elzayat on ‘Coco H’ qualified for the final round in the CSICH of the FEI Regional Group- Group VII. The final round will be held during the H.H. Sharjah Ruler Cup International Show Jumping Championship. Alzayat came in first in the qualifiers, with one jump-off round on 120 cm jumps. This round was held under sponsorship of Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Sports Academy. The round saw the participation of six child riders; three of which finished the main round without faults. Rider Moustafa Elzayat recorded the best time (38.24 seconds), with four faults at the jump-off. Jordanian Rider, Layan Amjad Al Mommani, on ‘Cassinger C’ finished second in 38.60 seconds, with four faults at the jump-off. In third place, the UAE’s Abdullah Hamad Ali Al Kirbi on ‘Lover Des Patis’, finished in 40.21 seconds, with four faults at the jump-off.

Mayed Ahmad Ahli wins the Juniors’ Qualifiers 
The UAE’s Mayed Ahmad Ahli won the juniors qualifiers competition sponsored by Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Sports Academy. The single-phase round with a jump-off was held on a course of 135 cm jumps. 25 female and male riders took part in this round. Seven riders finished the main round clear of faults. Rider Mayed Ahmad Ahli completed the jump-off round on ‘Brazoria De Semilly’ without faults in 45.30 seconds. Second and third place both came with four faults each; second place went to Jordanian rider Mohammad Amjad Al Mommani on ‘Evyra’ finishing jump-off in 35.38 seconds; while third place went to Emirati Mohamed Sultan Al Yahyai on ‘Chanitta’ finishing the jump-off in 45.50 seconds.
 
Jordanian Sara Hussein Wins young Qualifier Round
Jordanian riders maintained their excellent performance at international show jumping competitions in the UAE, scoring wins in various categories. The latest Jordanian achievement was on the third day of Al Shira’aa International Horse Show, by Sara Hussein Saleh Al Armouti on ‘Tokyo’, at the second young qualifier round sponsored by Hickstead, with a one jump-off round format. 13 female and male riders took part in the round on a course of 140 cm jumps. Three riders competed at the jump-off round and won top places. Sara Hussein Saleh Al Armouti won first place on ‘Tokyo’, finishing jump-off in 36.69 seconds; while Saudi Meshal Alandas came in second place on ‘Django Imoo’, finishing jump-off in 41.82 seconds with eight faults. Saudi Saad Alajmi came in third place on ‘Vici R’, finishing jump-off with 19 faults.

Sheikh Zayed Bin Hazza Al Nahyan Prize Goes to Italy’s Paolo Paini
Italian rider Paolo Paini won the Mini Grand Prix CSI4* atop ‘Chaccolie’, where 51 female and male riders competed for a chance to win the Sheikh Zayed Bin Hazza Al Nahyan Prize of €25,000. The one round with jump-off included 145 cm jumps. Seven riders finished the main round without faults, and moved to jump-off rounds, where only two riders finished clear. Paolo Paini came in first place on ‘Chaccolie’, finishing the one jump-off speed round in 33.81 seconds. This speedy result was tough for his competitors to beat - Portugual’s Luis Sabino Gonçalves on ‘Dominka Van De Lucashoeve’ came in second place in 34.78, while Sweden’s Henrik Von Eckermann came in third place on ‘Lorielle’, in a record time of 32.67 and four faults.