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FW: RE: [RC] Review - Nik Isahak Abdullah



From: "Steph Teeter" <steph@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: "Nik Isahak Abdullah" <drnikisahak@xxxxxxxxxxx>
CC: "Johnt Teeter" <johnt@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: RE: Review
Date: Sat, 29 Jan 2005 16:33:40 +0400

Hi Nik - may we publish this post on Endurance Net, with the others?

Steph

-----Original Message-----
From: Nik Isahak Abdullah [mailto:drnikisahak@xxxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Saturday, January 29, 2005 8:25 AM
To: pete@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx; bleckboys@xxxxxxxxx; steph@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: WEC:Review


What an interesting mid week it was!As predicted UAE 's HE Sh Hazza
came home triumphant in the individual event followed very very closely by
France's Barbara Lissarague and third place went to endurance prince,FEI
powerhouse and prime mover,HH Sh Mohd bin Rashid Al Maktoum .At an average
speed of over 22.68 kph over the 160 km fast desert course,Sh Hazza's 10
year old gelding Hachim prove that at this rarefied atmospheric competitive
level ,the world have a lot to learn from the sheikhs.

Say what you like but at the end of the day WEC 2004 in Dubai is about
national honour ,glory and that rather commercial word branding and many may
not like what I am going to say that yet again the rest of the world has
almost being comphrehensively beaten by tinu UAE.I used the word "almost"
because personally I feel ,with some prior restraint and more conservative
strategy,they could have taken the team medal as well given that as gracious
and generous host they have the advantage of double the number of starters.

I expected Australia under the captaincy of my good friend Peter Toft
to win the team event.They have the right strategy and probably one of the
best horses .A wee bit more bravado and less restraint on the part of their
riders probably could have given them the gold rather than going home with a
silver.But I can understand Peter's predicament: a silver is better than
none at all!Australia in this year's WEC practice a peculiar form of horse
selection.Allthe "freaks" apart from Margaret Wade's mount came from Peter's
ranch,That speak a lot about the strengh of Toft Endurance Inc but I pity
Peter for the undue emotional burden and stress and that probably made the
difference between gold or silver!

Italy will be dancing and wine-ing for weeks to come.But before one
decided that this is a lucky Team winner let us examine the fact.Dr Fiasto
Fiarucci ,the dentist,was a close 2nd to Valerie Kanavy in WEC 1998 and if I
am not mistaken he is now head huncho of Endurance Italy.An Italian was
again 2nd in WEC2000 at Compeigne.They have the pedigree,if everyone tend to
forget and they have the mind.

As Pierre Cazes the ever dominant French endurance supremo look into
his beer{does the French ever drink beer on normal days?}and stares into the
foreboding Abu Dhabi desert thinking about what went wrong, he should not be
overly too seroius with himself. France has not done too badly.Barbara
Lissarazue on her crossbred Georgat was great.Watching her in Kuala Lumpur
on the internet{I was drop from Team Malaysia at the last minute and this is
not America!},in the 4th loop surrounded by a sea of UAE riders I thought to
myself she was not going to make it.And make it she does!At a scorching
final lap speed of over 31 kph!This is one brave French lady.Pierre Cazes
also should be proud over the fact that the champions of the day learn from
him and his boys over the years.French endurance encompass the fine art and
science of winning in this game.

      I am sure the Americans, former  world power in this game will still
be wondering what went wrong.They have many thousands of rider horse
combinations to choose from.Many hundreds of rides per year.The birth place
of endurance.A whole culture stepped in riding andhorses.What went
wrong.?They were no where near at all.!No one will ever know the reason why
but in this game sometime it is good to just not look inward but also
outward.Lessons can sometime be learned from small nations as well.And this
is mighty difficult for a nation as big as USA.{Iam very sure Iam not going
tobe too popular there!}

That was the week that was.

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