UAE's Rashid clinches President's Cup

Shaikh Mohammed and Shaikh Hamdan attended the race in Al Wathba

Riding 12-year-old grey Shaddad, Shaikh Rashid Dalmook Juma Al Maktoum edged out Indian rider Madhu Singh on Mustafa to win the prestigious 160-km HH The President of the UAE Endurance Cup at the Emirates International Endurance Village in Al Wathba on Saturday.
In a grueling ride that attracted 190 riders and horses from all over the world, Shaikh Rashid and Madhu Singh were involved in a two-way battle for supremacy and the UAE rider came up on top to win with a little over a minute to spare after the 160-km ride. The ride was held in six loops of 40kms, 33kms, 24kms, 23kms, 20kms and 20kms and was attended by His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai; Shaikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai; and Shaikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, along with many other VIP guests.
The Al Jazeera Stable 2 rider Madhu Singh and the 10-year-old Mustafa had earlier in the season won the 120-km Al Dhafrah Endurance Ride and they took charge immediately after the second loop and led for the next two stages. Shaikh Rashid also joined the race and at the end of the fourth stage moved into second place.
The two then battled it out all the way to the wire but Shaikh Rashid who took the lead in the penultimate stage held on to complete the final 20km and win in a time of 6 hours four minutes and 54 seconds. The MRM Stable star's horse is trained by Mohammed Ali Al Subose. "It was the toughest challenge I have ever faced particularly in the final stage. My horse loves closely-contested races and I was keen not to consume all his energy in the early stages. Shaikh Mohammed and Shaikh Hamdan were behind the success and without them nothing would have been achieved," Shaikh Rashid said.