World Endurance Championship 2004

One week to Championship Day and counting. 184 horses from 44 countries is record of sort in any equestrian sport. Only UAE is capable of grouping such numbers from countries so varied in backgrouds and cultures. All are there on invitation,all expenses fully paid for, thanks to petrodollar. UAE was host to WEC in 1998 then the championship shifted to Compeigne France in 2000 when the strength of the Euro were made to bear fully on competing nations as this was no longer FOC. 2002 saw the World Equestrian Games in Jerez ,Spain where endurance was also an event and thus WEC took a back seat for that year. WEC 2004 supposed to be held in december of 2004 was pushed into january 2005 partly due to the untimely and sad demise of the late HRH Sultan Zayed Al Nayan.

A record number of royalties competing this year.10 out of the 11 representing UAE are either from the Abu Dhabi Al Nayan royalty{THe Current and past rulers are from this family} or the Maktoums of Dubai.The Maktoums is further represented via marriage in the Jordan team as HRH Princess Hayabinti Al Hussien{consort to HH Sheikh Mohamed Al Maktoum, UAE Minister of Defence} is riding for her country.Bahrain's team of 6 riders were entirely all blue blooded.Ou r very own HRH Sultan Mizan complete the circle.A year ago I wrote in this column that endurance is the most egaliterian of all equestrian sports.! Now I certainly have to retract that imposing statement.

In the WEC 1998 when the then ever popular ever beautiful 54 year old American Endurance Queen,Valerie Kanavy rode home on her aging 16 year old arabian HIgh Wind Jedi to a very narrow win over Italian dentistDr Fausto Fiarucci ,an average speed of 17 kph would differentiate between the 1st 3 winners and the rest of the class.At current ongoing speed Valerie Kanavy of 1998 would be lucky if she can top 20 this time around.

At the recent Pre WEC trial held in early january for 120 km the winners came in at just about 5 hours of riding time at a scorching average speed of above 21 kph!I envisage the winners of this year's championship will have to clock in excess of 19 kph average.That requires a hell lot of cantering and galloping!Much much more than what most horses that are already there now have ever done in their training and competitions.Fatigue and energy substrate depletion in an endurance horse present in the form lameness and metabolic consequence and at this phenomenal speed for the whole 160 km , there is ample space and time for such to happen.Thus the rate of atrition amongst front runners is very high. But this would not deter all the UAE riders from all going for numero uno.THey all have the "freaks" to do it and they will do it no matter what.They can be Team number 1 but I do not think it is in the phsycology of the Sheikhs to be other than overall number 1.

I suspect the Americans and Europeans approach the Championship differently.They have all accepted that UAE is very difficult to beat in the fast desert sand.They always regard the WEC track as rather too flat and too simple but in its simplicity lies the ultimate challenge:Only the best and the strongest horse will win.In a more difficult and tactically varying track there is a lot more leeway for error and human input.Not in Dubai.

In WEC 1998 the much under rated New Zealanders{Average age 55!I was 45 then and my!They look geriatrics!!} came out 1st in the Team Event.Their horses were not spectacular and all of them average just slightly above 15 kph {boring speed at this level of competition}.No one expected them to win and the New Zealanders themselves did not expect this to happen but in the desert sand when everybody is going so fast and getting all kind of problems midway it is the slow and steady crowd that takes the team event.

My predictions:Indiviidual Gold will go to either Sheikk Maktoum or one of his sons aor other UAE riders fullstop.The Australians have a couple of horses that can match the Maktoums but I am sure my friend Peter and his wife have astute business sense and will probablynot take too much risk anyway and will collectively go for the TEam Gold.This I think is Australia's year.Of course the Americans,Frenchs and Germans would not make things easy for them.

Where do I put us Malaysians? Fortunately we are still considered on the learning curve and thus not much expectation has been asked from our boys thus less pressure on them.If I am allowed to read Dato Kamaruddin's mind{our de facto team captain and most experienced amongst the riders}I would think he would plan to ask his "boys" to ride the 1st 2 phases at slightly below 4 minutes per kilometres and maintain this speed or reeve up accordingly in subsequent phases depending on the ongoing hose's status and condition.I n Dubai at 5 am at temp around 10 degrees centigrade it is difficult to go slow when everyone is passing you by but conservatism is the order of the day if you want a piece of cake in the team event.Forget about being numero uno in the individual event.We do not have the "freaks".

Dr. Nik Isahak Abdullah

World Endurance Championship January 27, 2005 Dubai, UAE Presented by Endurance Net