QOC President Crowns Winners of Second Round of HH the Father Amir Prix

HH the Father Amir Prix

HE President of the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) and Chairman of the Doha Equestrian Tour Organising Committee, Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al-Thani, crowned the winners of the first three places of the second round of HH the Father Amir Prix, which concluded Saturday at the indoor and outdoor Longines arenas at Al Shaqab.

The event drew a record participation of globally ranked riders, with trophies exceeding EUR 3.3 million.

British rider Scott Brash clinched the Grand Prix of the five‑star 1.60 m class with jump‑off, recording a time of 42.66 seconds aboard Hello Jefferson, completing a flawless round and took a victory lap.

France's Megan Moissonnier claimed second place in 42.78 seconds on Kronier Tim, while the United States' Eve Jobs secured third in 43.42 seconds on Canto Bruno.

The third day of the second round unfolded at the Longines outdoor and indoor arenas at Al Shaqab, featuring the Grand Prix of the three‑star 1.50 m class with jump‑off on the main outdoor arena, alongside the five‑star 1.60 m Grand Prix with jump‑off, while the indoor Longines arena hosted the 1.30 m one‑star Grand Prix with jump‑off.
The secondary outdoor arena staged the three‑star 1.30 m class, in addition to a local 1.00 m class, while the indoor Longines arena hosted the 1.15 m one‑star class and the 1.30 m youth class with jump‑off, part of the qualifying rounds for Group VII.

On the main outdoor arena, the three‑star 1.40 m class preceded the two‑round five‑star 1.50 m class. In the five‑star 1.50 m event, British rider Harry Charles captured first in 35.10 seconds on Bandit, followed by compatriot Millie Allen in 35.41 seconds on Daimont, with Italy's Roberto Privitali third in 36.16 seconds on Special Ms, all with flawless rounds.

Scott Brash also claimed the three‑star 1.50 m Grand Prix with jump‑off in 32.34 seconds on Chadoura, ahead of Belgium's Abdelkader Saأ¯d in 33.49 seconds on Wodhan, and Germany's Jan Friedrich Zimmerman third in 33.74 seconds on Iron.

The three‑star 1.40 m class witnessed the brilliance of Italy's Emanuele Gaudiano, who finished first in 46.13 seconds aboard Diarog, followed by Turkey's Hasan Senturk in 46.79 seconds on Elzas, while Saudi rider Khalid Al Hadi claimed third in 48.34 seconds on Capion.

In the 1.30 m class of the same category, France's Jean‑Frأ©dأ©ric Rondoub secured first in 69.13 seconds on Inter Laros, Qatar's Ghanem Nasser Al Qadi came second in 70.71 seconds on Mekines, and Saudi rider Mohammed Al Asaker finished third in 70.72 seconds on Tinto.

Qatari riders shone in the 1.30 m one‑star Grand Prix with jump‑off, as Hussein Saeed Haidan claimed first in 35.79 seconds on Saucido, followed by Saad Ahmed Al Saad in second with 37.10 seconds on Fashion, and Nasser Al Ghazali finishing third in 37.11 seconds on Discater.

Qatari riders continued their dominance in the 1.15 m one‑star event, where Ali Omar Al Ansari secured first in 43.13 seconds on Nikita, Abdullah Ahmed Al Khalifi came second in 44.84 seconds on Quinta, and Abdullah bin Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani finished third in 45.56 seconds on Cassandra.

In the 1.30 m youth category with jump‑off, part of the Group VII qualifiers, Ibrahim Youssef Al Mahmoud claimed first in 36.42 seconds on Vito, flawless, followed by Saudi rider Mishal Al Qahtani in 37.33 seconds on Minky, also without faults, while Yaqoub Nasser Al Mas finished third in 36.55 seconds.

In the local 1.00 m event, Maryam Abdulkarim secured first in 35.63 seconds on Bina, Afra Abdulrahman Al Sulaiti came second in 35.71 seconds on Moiga, and Salman Faisal Al Marri finished third in 37.41 seconds on Gotberg.

At the conclusion of the first and second rounds, Qatar topped the overall Stars category standings, with Hussein Saeed Haidan first on 40 points, followed by Saad Ahmed Al Saad with 34 points, Jordanian Basheer Kayali third with 19 points, and Jaber Rashid Al Amri fourth with 18 points.

Meanwhile, British rider Scott Brash led the overall standings in the Four‑ and Five‑Star events with 89 points, ahead of Thailand's Janakaborn Karunaiyadhaj with 66 points, American Eve Jobs with 62 points, followed by Harry Charles and Monaco's Anastazia Nielsen with 59 points each, and French Megan Moissonnier with 55 points, while Sheikh Ali bin Khalid Al-Thani ranked among Qatari riders with 2 points.

The third round of the championship is set from January 22 to 24 at Al Shaqab, featuring multiple categories at varying heights.

The inaugural championship is organized by the Qatar Equestrian Federation, Al Shaqab, and the Qatar Olympic Committee, in official partnership with Qatar Airways and key sponsors.

The event showcases four international rounds from one‑star to five‑star categories, alongside junior and young rider competitions, including qualifying classes for the FEI Group VII Finals in the second, third, and fourth rounds.

(QNA)