Sheikh Hassan, al-Khatri shine in UAE president's Cup

Bahraini showjumpers Shaikh Hassan bin Rashid Al Khalifa and Khalid Helal Al Khatri continued their successful run in the international arena with a dominant performance for the Kingdom by securing two podium finishes and gaining Longiness World Ranking points at the CSI3* President of the UAE Show Jumping Cup.
Al Khatri led the challenge of the Bahraini riders by securing a second place podium finish in the 120CSI3* table A, riding the BDF-owned Bashayer in a time of 29.38 seconds in the special two phase class as he kept contenders such as Ukrainian internationals Norbert Schumann at bay.
The showjumping team member secured another podium with the same super fast mare Bashayer in the final of the CSI3* 130 accumulator class by finishing third in a time of 40.58s and a perfect score of 65.
Al Khatri, one of Bahrain's promising riders on the international level, secured Longiness World Ranking points when he placed ninth in the first day CSI3* 145 GP qualifier on the BDF-owned gelding, BDF Awal.
Team Captain Shaikh Hassan pitched in to the successful weekend by picking up more ranking points when he finished 10th in the CSI3* 145winning round class on his horse HBR Versace.
Sh Hassan also placed in the money when he secured the 10th spot of the accumulator 135 CSI3* in a time of 44.93s with a full score of 44 points as he out paced a talented field of riders including double gold medal Olympic champion Lars Nieberg.
Shaikh Essa bin Salman Al Khalifa had two error-free rounds with his new horse Giorgio Van’t Hagenhof. The combination was competing in their first show together with the intention of preparing for future successes in the bigger classes.
The Bahraini riders have been riding a wave of success on the international circuit and have received praise from professionals all over the world for their current successful form.
Al Khatri commented: "I’m training, I’m competing, and I’m winning podium spots for Bahrain. I am proud of these results and I will continue to do my best. I thank the BDF for their continued support in me at the international stage."
Shaikh Hassan added: "We are a team. We help each other out and we make each other better. The new world ranking points come out in March and Khalid and I will be on the list representing the Bahraini showjumping community. We will keep challenging each other to climb higher up the ladder and reach for more success for the kingdom."
Shaikh Hassan noted: "We are thankful for BREEF, which supports the sport locally and internationally. We have world ranked riders. We have a fantastic local season with a talented pool of riders. There’s numerous sponsors buying horses and supporting the local riders and the growth of our sport. Bahrain showjumping is as good as it has ever been thanks to all this support."
The showjumping team of Shaikh Essa, Shaikh Hassan and Al Khatri thanked The BREEF Honorary President Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa BREEF Chairman Shaikh Faisal bin Rashid Al Khalifa and showjumping president Shaikh Khalid bin Mohammed Al Khalifa.
Source: BNA