Horse racing: Sheikh Mohammed and Sheikh Hamdan attend Dubai Crown Prince Endurance

dubai - Teenager Mohammad Al Marri aboard SM Jota Curado was crowned champion of the Dubai Crown Prince Endurance Cup 2017 sponsored by Emirates Airline, which is undoubtedly the biggest career win for this promising rider from the UAE.
Al Marri completed the four loops in a time of 04:04:39 to end the Dubai endurance season on a high.
The purpose-built Dubai International Endurance city played host to the prestigious CEN 119 km Dubai Crown Prince Endurance Cup. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai; along with Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council; greeted the first few riders to complete the race including Mohammad Al Marri.
"I am very pleased with the result. Credit goes to my horse Jota Curado who is very strong horse and has improved with every race, and he has a great future ahead. The endurance season is over now, but we will plan ahead, and hope to replicate the success from this special race," said Al Marri.
The young rider who represents the F3 stables started competing at the age of 14 also rode in the Yamamah endurance Cup for mares earlier in the week, but that ended in disappointment as his horse was lame.
he local endurance rider has more than made up with this extraordinary ride in the finale.
The first group of competitors set off on the 119 km, 4 loop course at 7.00 am, and leading the pack at the end of the 39km long first loop (yellow), was local rider Mansoor Salman Hassan Al Sabri aboard Techno De La Bassanne, representing the Al Bararri Stables.
Mohammad Al Marri started steadily, to finish the first loop in eleventh. In the remaining three loops the UAE rider picked up pace, and remained at the top or thereabouts.
His average speed on the horse was 29kms per hour, but in the final loop Al Marri showed an intent to win stepping up to 38 kms per hour.
Plenty to celebrate for the M7 Endurance stables and trainer Abdulla Al Subose who was responsible for the second and third placed pairings in the race. Just ten seconds behind the winner was Rashed Theyab Ghanim Al Mazrooei aboard ten year old Al Theeb.
They started slowly, to finish the first loop in 24th place, but picked up in the loops that followed, improving to seventh, fourth and the second. Right behind him was stable mate Humaid Matar Rashid Al Mazrooei who came in third, aboard nine year old Shahab.
A total of 323 runners, from 41 countries featured in the starting line-up for the 2017 running of the prestigious Dubai Crown prince Endurance Cup.
The Dubai Crown Prince Endurance Cup brought the curtain down on the endurance season in Dubai, and was the highlight of the week long Dubai Crown Prince Endurance Festival, which featured a total of four rides.
The other three rides were the CEN 90 km Dubai Crown Prince Ride for Ladies, the CEN 100 km Dubai Crown Prince Ride Restricted to Private Stables/Individuals, the CEN 119 km Yamamah Endurance Cup for Mares.