Too Hot to Trot

The Shaikh Nasser Bin Hamad Al Khalifa Show Jumping Championship was held at the beautiful Bahrain Defence Force Equestrian Centre in Sakhir on Friday.

By 9am the juniors were underway with a fierce look in their eyes. Despite the sun shining brightly, the cold wind had the horses bursting with excitement.

Junior 1 was a one round with jump-off and with a fence height of 80-90cm. Fourteen young riders were in the fray but it was Maayof Al Romaihi, on his trusted steed Mashallah, who took victory with a time of 28.52.

Close on his heels was Nidhal Abdul Nabi on Wabiti Al Maha with a time of 28.87, while schoolgirl Aimee Keen, on her lovely horse DJ Fleur, took third place with a time of 33.52.

Junior 2 was a two-phase class and had heights of 95-105cm. The youngest rider in this section, Mustafa Dadulla on Rainsong, stole the show with his first ever victory.

Mustafa guided Rainsong around 13 fences in a time of 39.04 to have the only clear round in the class.

With a faster time of 35.31 but an unfortunate four faults, Al Romaihi on Granus took home his second trophy of the day in second spot. Again, Aimee on DJ Fleur took to the podium to claim a third place trophy for the second time.

The Adult 1 began with a two-phase class with heights of 90-100cm and 51 competitors in the fray.

Ali Essa on Horse Pride Ravissante came out in champion style and took home the top prize. He steered Ravissante around the course with expertise and precision in a time of 29.87, almost four seconds faster than runner-up Muslim Ali, who returned a time of 33.41 on Al Fateh Emily. In third place was Sadiq Abbas on Horse Pride Grivin with a time of 33.58.

Adult 2 was an accumulator and the fences were raised to 105-115cm. In this class riders could opt for a joker fence at 125cm. It was definitely a class that tested courage with the decision to be made whether to go for the bigger fence at the end.

The joker fence was positioned on a tight turn in a muddy corner and proved to be very challenging. However, the challenge didn’t stop a daring dozen riders out of 47 to produce clear rounds.

Professional rider Sami Ghazwan, on his stunning new mare Miss Adary, claimed the top prize with an amazing round and a time of 32.60.

Close on his heels was Mohammad Al Abdulkareem on Indorado with a time of 34.74. Muslim Ali took his second trophy of the day by securing third on Al Fateh Pascal with a time of 35.72.

As the sun began to set and the cold crept in, the Grand Prix got underway. Despite the temperature dropping to a low of 10C, the stadium was still full with spectators cheering on their favourites.

This class was a two-round event. Despite having faults in the first round a rider could go on to try again in the second round.

After 19 riders tried their best, it was Ghazwan, on his second new horse Miss Aalia, who delivered a Grand Champion performance.

He showed amazing ability to have the only two clear rounds of the night and a time of 52.97.

Winning both Adult 2 and the Grand Prix on his brand new mares proved he is one of the best on the island and also has an expert eye for picking the best horses.

With an unfortunate four faults and a time of 58.89, Basel Al Dosari took second place with Al Fateh Cantacino. Ahmed Mansoor with BDF Edward Du Sud claimed third place with only four faults in both rounds and a time of 68.89.

The event was held under the patronage of Shaikh Faisal bin Rashid Al Khalifa, president of the Bahrain Royal Equestrian & Endurance Federation. It was an exciting day for everyone.

Results:
Junior 1
1. Maayof Al Romaihi/ Mashallah 28.52
2. Nidhal Abdul Nabi/ Wabiti Al Maha 28.87
3. Aimee Keen/ DJ Fleur 33.52
4. Saif Dwaik/ Lucy Al Fateh 34.70
5. Maayof Al Romaihi/ Granus 26.29
6. Ahmed Al Hashili/ Thunderbolt Horse Pride 27.62
Junior 2
1. Mustafa Dadulla/ Rainsong 39.04
2. Maayof Al Romaihi/ Granus 35.31
3. Aimee Keen/ DJ Fleur 45.15
4. Aimee Keen/ Rio 33.16
5. Nidhal Abdul Nabi/ I Trust You Al Maha 37.99
6. Qassim Abbas/ Cedona 38.04
Adult 1
1. Ali Essa/ Ravissante Horse Pride 29.87
2. Muslim Ali/ Emily Al Fateh 33.41
3. Sadiq Abbas/ Grivin Horse Pride 33.58
4. Eyad Ahmed/ Athlatico Horse Pride 34.44
5. Elyas Mohammed/ Ghayth 35.87
6. Bassim Mahdi/ Estrella Al Wardi 36.65
Adult 2
1. Sami Ghazwan/ Miss Adary 32.60
2. Mohammed Al Abdulkareem/ Indorado 34.74
3. Muslim Ali/ Pascal Al Fateh 35.72
4. Hussain Dadulla/ Arko Dilmun 36.87
5. Sammi Ghazwan/ Miss Aalia 37.00
6. Ali Essa/ Cortez Dilmun 37.00
Adult 3
1. Sami Ghazwan/ Miss Aalia 52.97
2. Basel Al Dosari/ Cantacino Al Fateh 58.89
3. Ahmed Mansoor/ Edward Du Sud 68.89
4. Ali Essa/ Elcaro Van Papinglo Horse Pride 57.18
5. Shaikh Abdulla Al Khalifa/ Salah El Dine BDF 64.99
6. Ahmed Al Jahromi/ Dory AKJC 77.62

Upcoming events
* The Dilmun Stables will be hosting an open Dressage Show this Friday. The tests will be Intro A Juniors, Intro A Adults, Preliminary 7 (mixed) and Novice 27 (Mixed). The show starts at 9am and is open to everyone. Appropriate competition clothes is mandatory. The entry fee is BD5.