By Duane Fonseca -
Vice President and Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE, and Chairman of the Presidential Court, toured facilities at the Emirates International Endurance Village and reviewed technical, organisational and logistical arrangements in place for the ride.
Al Wathba Stables dominated proceedings during the landmark 25th edition of the HH The President of the United Arab Emirates Endurance Cup at Emirates International Endurance Village with Omar Mohammed Al Neyadi finding himself at the top of the leaderboard at the end of five of the six loops of the 160km ride. The event was graced by the presence of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Vice President and Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE, and Chairman of the Presidential Court, who took a tour of facilities at the Emirates International Endurance Village, and reviewed the technical, organisational and logistical preparations in place for the ride. And with the stage set perfectly for one of the most anticipated events on the UAE endurance riding calendar, Al Neyadi topped the list of 34 finishers from a field of 159 that participated, winning in the company of 10-year-old mare RO Shy Moon, trained by Jabar Singh. The pair completed the ride with a time of five hours, 52 minutes and 11 seconds (5:52:11) going about their business at an average speed of 27.26kph. Al Neyadi had last won the Union Day Cup at the same venue in November and on that occasion the youngster led an Al Wathba Stables clean sweep of the podium.
There wasn’t going to be a 1-2-3 for his outfit this time around with Alya Obaid Al Shamsi of ABH Endurance finding herself between Al Neyadi and third-place Layla Abdul Aziz Al Redha, who also rode for Al Wathba Stables. Al Shamsi secured second aboard EUS Royal Viper, after clocking 5:53:08, with Al Redha and RO Patagonia, a further 37 seconds behind with a time of 5:53:45. Al Neyadi began the day confidently and set the fastest time over the 40km first loop, with the only blemish in an otherwise flawless performance arriving during the second loop spanning 28km, which saw the youngster pass on the baton to his Syrian teammate Masa Adnan Tonbakji, who rode RO Lucky and swapped places as she move up one spot to take over the summit. A role reversal ensued once again during the third loop, also over 28km, with Al Neyadi regaining the lead and holding on to win comfortably thereafter as the battle for the minor spots continued with Al Shamsi finishing second after falling and rising consistently during the course of the ride.
It was slightly better from Al Redha, who seemed destined for a podium finish after the third loop. Mohammed Al Hadhrami, EIEV Events Director, Abdul Rahman Al Rumaithi, the General Manager of EIEV, and Lara Sawaya, the Executive Director of the His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Racing Festival, presented the top three with their prizes.
A thrilled Al Neyadi, who won, said it was a matter of following instructions and sticking to the plan as he knew that he was up against a classy field in the race. “I adhered to the plan of the trainer, who asked me not to put too much pressure on the horse and the strength and stamina of RO Shy Moon really helped me over all of the stages keeping me on top of things from start to finish.
This is a team effort and I would like to thank everyone involved with the team for their support and efforts in helping us win,” he said. Musallem Al Ameri, the Director General of EIEV, said: “The presence of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan played a major role in influencing and encouraging the riders to give their best and make the race a highly successful affair. The event’s success began with the guidance, support and care of His Highness, and was doubled by his presence and timely follow-up to see that everything was of the highest order. “I would like to congratulate everyone who participated, the riders and trainers and the stables that were part of the landmark 25th edition of this prestigious ride and I would like to offer special congratulations to the winning connections.”
