Results Round II
Final Results || Eliminations
HH Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum wins Round II of the 120-km Giants Endurance Challenge
January 10 - Bahrain International Endurance Village
Mohammad scores giant victory
Riding Tahhan, Shaikh Mohammad completed the gruelling 120-km distance in a time of four hours 53 minutes and 14 seconds to finish ahead of Bahrain's Shaikh Nasser Bin Hamad Al Khalifa on Firhos de Paute.
Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, came third aboard EO Fawati and Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Presidential Affairs, fourth on Carrallio.
Some of the top riders from the region participate in the three-round FEI-approved Body Weight Ride series, the first round of which was held in Abu Dhabi last month.
Shaikh Mohammad, who earned 100 points from yesterday's win, is now top of the table for the overall champion of the three-ride series. He had finished fifth in the first round for, which he earned 50 points and now has a cumulative total of 150 points,
Shaikh Mansour, who was second (80 points) in the first round, secured another 60 for his fourth place finish and shares second position in the overall standing with Bahrain's Shaikh Nasser, who has also tallied 140 points (60 +80).
Yesterday's second round of the series started with 37 riders getting to a mass start at 6am at the Bahrain International Endurance Village in Sakhir.
Shaikh Mohammad finished the first 30km stage in third place and then made his move in the second stage when he moved into the front to lead after 60-kms.
Shaikh Mohammad and Tahhan stayed ahead after the third stage of 25km before he eased down a bit to finish the final stage in second place behind Shaikh Hamdan on EO Fawati.
In the final 15km loop, Shaikh Mohammad moved in front and finished first at an average speed 24.55 kmph for the 120km event.
Gulf News
photo:Shaikh Mohammad and Shaikh Hamdan practise for today's Giants Endurance Challenge (Body Weight) Ride series in Bahrain.
Abu Dhabi: His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Presidential Affairs and Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai are part of the 22-strong UAE line-up for today's second round of the Giants Endurance Challenge (Body Weight) Ride series in Bahrain.
Shaikh Mohammad is expected to ride Tahhan while Shaikh Mansour, who finished second behind Abdullah Bin Huzaim in the first round in Abu Dhabi, will be riding Carrallio. Shaikh Hamdan is expected to be on EO Fawati while Bin Huzaim will be riding Shahab.
A total of 39 riders are expected to battle for honours in today second round that will be run over 120-kms at the Bahrain International Endurance Village in Sakhir. Today's ride gets off to a mass start at 6.00 am and all participating riders must weigh at least 75 kilogrammes without riding equipment. The final leg will be held in Dubai and points accumulated over the three rounds will decide the overall champion.
(Gulf Daily News)
UAE vice-president, Prime Minister and the ruler of Dubai Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum will lead a strong field of UAE riders in the 120-kilometre Endurance Horseride Grand Prix. Eighteen of the UAE's best riders have confirmed their participation in this race which is the second round of the series and takes place on Saturday at the Bahrain International Endurance Village in Sakhir. Shaikh Hamdan and Shaikh Majid, sons of Shaikh Mohammed, will also be in the fray.
Top UAE riders for Bahrain event
(Gulfnews.com)
Abu Dhabi: UAE riders led by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, along with Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Presidential Affairs, are likely to dominate the second leg of the FEI Three-Star Giants Endurance Challenge (Body Weight) Ride Series to be held in Bahrain on Saturday.
...full story
BAHRAIN'S Royal Endurance team, led by captain Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, is gearing up for the second leg of the 120-kilometre Endurance Horseride Grand Prix, which will take place on Saturday at the Bahrain International Endurance Village in Sakhir.
The round follows the opener held last month at the Emirates International Endurance Village in Al Wathba, Abu Dhabi.
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Gulf Daily News
UAE vice-president, Prime Minister and the ruler of Dubai Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum will lead a strong field of UAE riders in the 120-kilometre Endurance Horseride Grand Prix. Eighteen of the UAE's best riders have confirmed their participation in this race which is the second round of the series and takes place on Saturday at the Bahrain International Endurance Village in Sakhir. Shaikh Hamdan and Shaikh Majid, sons of Shaikh Mohammed, will also be in the fray.
Prominent UAE entrants include UAE's presidential affairs Minister Shaikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Ahmed Harmash, who came second and third, respectively, in last month's first race of the series at Emirates International Endurance Village in Abu Dhabi.
Other participants are Tahnon Al Beloshi, Mubarak Khalifa, Hassan Al Beloshi, Buti Al Mazrooi, Salem Al Sabosi, UAE-based South African Gerardson Foslo, Joseph Tick of Astonia, Ahmed Al Mirri, Khalifa bin Galatya, Abdulla Saeed, Ali Al Sabri and Hamad Al Ghuwais.
A delegation from Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum's Media Office yesterday arrived in Bahrain and inspected the Bahrain International Endurance Village in Sakhir. The UAE officials praised the preparations of the Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation (Breef) to host this round of the championship.
The race will be telecast live on Bahrain Sports Channel. Officials from the channel also toured the race venue by Shaikh Nasser's Media Office director Tawfeeq Salehi who explained the latest preparations at the village. The organising committee has finalised its preparations through arranging the facilities inside the village besides preparing the race route. Meanwhile, the Bahraini riders continued to gear up for the Bahrain event, to be sponsored by Unicorn Investment Bank.
Breef president Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa and his brother Shaikh Khalid will lead the Bahraini hopes in this race which will be divided into five stages. The first and second stages will each cover 30km, the third will be over 25km, 20km for the fourth besides 15km for the fifth and final stage. Shaikh Nasser steered Omsura Nasrohn to a fourth-place finish in the first round while Shaikh Khalid, who was unable to complete the race, said he is determined to make a strong comeback on Saturday. Both Shaikh Nasser and Shaikh Khalid are looking to take a place on the podium before heading for the third and final round, scheduled for February 28, at Dubai International Endurance City in Seih Assalem.
After the deciding race, the rider with the highest number of points will be crowned overall champion. The top 10 in each race of the series are gaining points. Among a race's top finishers, the winner earns 100 points, while second gets 80, third 70, fourth 60, and fifth 50 points. Riders classified sixth through 10th will also come away with points. Each participating rider must weigh at least 75 kilograms without riding equipment, and must be registered with the International Equestrian Federation.
Top UAE riders for Bahrain event
By M. Satya Narayan, Senior Reporter
Published: January 06, 2009, 23:58
Abu Dhabi: UAE riders led by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, along with Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Presidential Affairs, are likely to dominate the second leg of the FEI Three-Star Giants Endurance Challenge (Body Weight) Ride Series to be held in Bahrain on Saturday.
The ride is being organised at the Bahrain International Endurance Village in Sakhir. The Bahrain Royal Endurance and Equestrian Federation (Breef) will see the UAE's top riders take on some of Bahrain's best and many others from around the world.
In this Body Weight series, which will conclude with the final event in Dubai at a later date, is a series approved by the Federation of Equestre Internationale (FEI). Participating riders must weigh at least 75kg without riding equipment.
Abdullah Saeed Bin Huzaim won the opening leg, which was held at the Emirates International Endurance Village in Al Wathba last month, with Shaikh Mansour finishing second in a 1-2-3 sweep for the UAE. Shaikh Mohammad finished fifth behind Bahrain's Shaikh Nasser Bin Hamad Al Khalifa in the 120-km event, which was run in five stages. Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Crown Prince, also took part in the Al Wathba event and is likely to be part of the starting line-up.
The overall winner will be declared after the three legs have been completed and will be based on the total number of points accumulated from each leg.
Currently Bin Huzaim is on 100 points with his win in the first leg. But with the second-placed rider getting 80, third 70, fourth 60, and fifth 50 points, the series is expected to be wide open until the final leg is completed.
Speaking to Gulf News yesterday Thaleb Dhaher Al Muhairi, Secretary General of the UAE Equestrian and Racing Federation said, "The first leg in Abu Dhabi was a highly competitive event and it will be so in Bahrain too. These Body Weight rides offer a new dimension to the endurance competitions in the region." "The three-leg event keeps the excitement on until the third ride and some of the region's top riders have increased the prestige of the FEI event," he added.