Mazrooei triumphs in Dubai endurance race

His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, seen with the triumphant riders.

That sheer joy has to be seen to be believed. His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai's love for horses is well documented and it is something which is very close to his heart.
Driving his customary Dubai 1-number plated white jeep, Shaikh Mohammed followed each and every one of the five loops closely, along with his son Shaikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai.And at the end of a gruelling 160km, young Emirati Humaid Matar Rashed Al Mazrooei made Shaikh Mohammed, Shaikh Hamdan, and the UAE proud.
The 17-year-old ended the way he started, winning the prestigious CEI 3* His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Endurance Cup at the Dubai International Endurance City at Seih Al Salam on Friday.
Representing M7 Endurance Stables, Al Mazrooei had set the early marker by finishing on top in the first loop of 40km and then went on to wrap up the ride in six hours, 43 minutes and 27 seconds, onboard the 12-year-old Rajas. "I am very happy to have won this race. Before the last loop, it was very hard because they were going very fast and it was my first time on this horse. I would like to thank Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum for giving us this chance and I want to dedicate my win to him," a jubilant Al Mazrooei said.
And it was an UAE show all the way with the top eight positions taken by Emiratis.
Mansour Saeed Mohd Al Faresi of MRM Stables piloted Tiswan Fageole to second, just a second behind Al Mazrooei. Al Faresi finished with a time of six hours, 43 minutes and 28 seconds.
Al Mazrooei's teammate Salem Hamad Saeed Malhoof Al Kitbi was third with a time of six hours, 43 minutes and 28 seconds. Al Kitbi rode HLP Bask.
Shaikh Mohammed awarded the trophies to the top three with first and second-placed finishers receiving a gleaming golden sword.
F3 Stables' Abdulla Ghanim Al Marri, winner of the Cup in 2012 and 2013, was fourth on Tim Ami, while Hamad Obaid Rashed Al Kaabi, riding for MRM Stables, and who had led for most of the ride, ended up fifth, on Sahem.
Yousef Ahmed Al Bloushi was sixth on Alhambra Latiffe, while Fatma Jassem Saeed Al Marri was seventh, onboard Rosemary Gold. Mohd Matar Rashed Al Mazrooei finished eighth.
Bahrain's Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa was ninth on Waterlea Dawn Treader.
Woman rider Magali Mendez from Argentina, onboard Sapucay, rounded off the top 10.
The 160km ride consisted of five loops - Loop 1 (Yellow, 40km), Loop 2 (Red, 35km), Loop 3 (Green, 35km), Loop 4 (Blue, 32km) and Loop 5 (White, 18km) and the lanky Humaid Matar Rashed Al Mazrooei tackled the first loop to finish first with a time of one hour, 33 minutes and 19 seconds.
He fell back though in the second loop and ended up fourth with a timing of one hour, 28 minutes and 11 seconds, as Hamad Obaid Rashed Al Kaabi took the lead.
Al Mazrooei was eighth after the third loop but he clawed back to third in the fourth loop with a time of one hour, 25 minutes and 33 seconds. Al Mazrooei then went on to seal the win in the final loop and logged a time of 41 minutes and three seconds. The youngster had an average speed of 23.79kmph.
Meanwhile, Hamad Obaid Rashed Al Kaabi, who had begun by finishing sixth in the first loop, led the second, third and fourth loops but had to settle for fifth.
james@khaleejtimes.com