Tribune News Network
Doha
The 7th season of the Qatar Equestrian Tour – Longines Hathab 2023-24 concluded with a fitting finale Round 14 at the indoor arena of magnificent Al Shaqab on Saturday.
The final leg of the annual domestic equestrian series was held over three days and saw exciting competition in all classes. The prestigious Longines-Hathab is jointly conducted by the Qatar Equestrian Federation and Al Shaqab from October to May.
Bader Mohammed Al Darwish, President of the Qatar Equestrian Federation, Ahmed Salem Al Ali, Director of Programs at the Social and Sports Activities Support Fund, and Ahmed Al Hammadi, Director of the Commercial Department at Al Shaqab, crowned the overall champions of various classes.
The Big Tour title was bagged by Cyrine Cherif, who topped the overall standings with 255 points, ahead of Mohammed Khalifa Al Baker, who finished a close second with 249 points, while Khaled Mohamed Al Emadi was third with a tally of 231 points.
The Medium Tour top honours were bagged by Saeed Hamad Jumaa, who excelled in the individual class garnering a total of 250 points, while the NK Cafe team claimed the top team competition prize with 255 points.
The Small Tour saw Mohammed Dhafi Al Marri ride his way to the top prize collecting a total of 251 points. In the Amateur category, rider Hadi Nasser Al Shahwani topped the rankings achieving 251 points.
In the Future Riders’ category (Level 1), Muhammad Abdullah Al Marri stood on top with 261 points, while Khaled Jassim Al Suwaidi topped the second level with 246 points.
The Dressage best honours went to Maryam Ahmed Al Semaitt, who topped the discipline rankings in Level 1 with 204 points. The Level 2 dressage overall title was claimed by Abdullah Khaled Al Jalandani with a tally of 172 points.
Commenting on the spectacular Season 7 of Longines-Hathab, Sheikh Ahmed bin Nouh Al Thani, Chairman of the Organizing Committee, and Secretary-General of QEF, said, “The season was exceptional, especially since the results of the riders reflected positively with their participation in the various international tournaments in which they represented Qatar.”
He also stressed that the Qatar Equestrian Tour is one of the strongest equestrian tournaments in the region.
He added, “Every year we witness development in the championship in terms of technical and organizational aspects, in addition to the number of riders participating in the various categories of the championship, which confirms that Hadhab represents an exceptional opportunity for riders to develop and develop their skills.”
He stressed that the work teams have already begun early preparations for next year’s edition which will undoubtedly be a more advanced edition in terms of financial prizes and categories.
The final and concluding day of the 14th and final leg of Hathab saw Fares Saad Al Qahtani (riding mare Hidiene) win the Open Class with a time of 27.05 seconds, while Khaled Muhammad Al Amadi, astride mare Mira V/D Roshoeve, finished second in 27.51 seconds, while Hamad Towaim Al Marri on gelding Baron ZH was third clocking 27.82 seconds.
The winners were crowned by Ali bin Youssef Al Rumaihi, Vice-Chairman of the Supreme Organizing Committee of the Championship, and Faisal Al Kahla, Director of the Championship.
The Big Tour final round was won by Khaled Abdulaziz Al Eid (riding bay stud Q Hayen), who claimed the top two podium places achieving times of 84.13 seconds and 87.89 seconds respectively. Ghanem Nasser Al Qadi astride stud Morocco, came third with a time of 81.56 seconds.
At the end of the tour, Ahmed Salem Al Ali, Director of Programs at the Social and Sports Activities Support Fund, and Ahmed Jaber Al Mulla, Member of the Board of Directors of the Qatar Equestrian Federation, honoured the winners.
