By Duane Fonseca -
One of the UAE’s top riders, Al Mazrouei dominated proceedings aboard Bullio San Andreas from start to finish during the 119km ride at Marathon Village.
Saif Al Mazrouei underlined the quality of Emirati horsemanship in the endurance arena in neighbouring Qatar last week when winning the CEN 119km HH The Emir’s Sword, the nation’s top annual ride aboard MRM Stables owned Bullio San Andreas. Al Mazrouei and his seven-year-old Anglo Arab mount topped a leaderboard that saw just 10 rider-horse pairs complete the event.
A total of 98 pairings started the event in the sands of Marathon Village in Sealine, but Al Mazrouei and Bullio San Andreas, trained by Bhanwar Singh Rathore, were in a class of their own and led from start to finish. They won with a time of four hours, 20 minutes and 25 seconds (4:20:25) plying their trade over the entirety of the ride at an average speed of 27.4kph. The Emirati pair were so dominant, they finished 1:28 clear of second-placed Qatari pair of Salman Al Hajri and the Mohammed Majid Al Sulaiti-owned Moro Prelon, trained by Hassan Khamis Al Shahwani.
The pair were timed at 4:26:53. Claiming the final podium spot was another Emirati pair in Mohammed Saeed Al Blooshi and the Sheikh Mohammed Nawaf Nasser Al Thani-owned Casmac Morning Star, trained by Ahmed Salem Al Balushi, who held on to third from start to finish and were timed at Sheikh Mohammed bin Nawaf Al Thani, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Endurance Racing Club, attributed Qatari equestrianism’s development to the support and interest shown in the sport by the nation’s wise leadership.
Speaking at the end of his country’s most prestigious endurance event, Sheikh Mohammed bin Nawaf Al Thani said that the club has been working since its inception to develop and organise races that are world class. He added that the 2024 edition of the race was organised differently with the presence of the best overseas riders, who competed against the best from Qatar.
