GHANTOOT // Sheikha Latifa bint Ahmed said Saturday’s victory in the President of the UAE Showjumping Cup at Ghantoot made up for the country’s disappointment in missing out on qualifying for the Olympics.
On Thursday, the UAE finished fifth among six teams from North Africa and the Middle East in the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup as Qatar booked their spot at Rio 2016.
But on Saturday, Sheikha Latifa mastered a course where there were three clear rounds out of 50 competitors to finish two seconds clear of Lars Nieberg.
Sheikha Latifa, the only UAE rider to make it through to the jump-off of the five-star grand prix, said she was inspired by the home crowd.
“After our performance in the Nations Cup on Thursday, this win really lifted our spirits as a country, we needed this win,” she said.
“Winning at home is different. When you have your home crowd behind you, it’s just a completely different feeling.”
Sheikha Latifa and her mount Peanuts de Beaufour have been a combination for seven years, while she has been coached by French world champion Eric Levallois for the past 12.
Levallois praised Sheikha Latifa’s work ethic.
“She is a real worker, she is in the stable every morning at 7am, she deserved this win with Peanuts,” he said.
Nieberg and Nabab de Revel had two double clear rounds but were two seconds slower than Sheikha Latifa.
“Unfortunately, I did not manage to watch Sheikha Latifa’s round as I was warming my horse up, so I had no idea how fast she was, but my aim was to go clear and I am happy with my result,” Nieberg said.
After knocking two fences down in the jump-off, Morocco’s Abdelkebir Ouaddar and Quickly de Kreisker had to settle for third place.
Friday had a three-star grand prix that Russia’s Vladimir Tuganov and his horse Bluebuster won. Tuganov was one of two riders to have a double clear, making it a two-horse jump-off.
Second place went to Nieberg and Galipo 5, making the rider’s trip from Germany worthwhile with two sets of prizes.
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MATCH INFO
Schalke 0
Werder Bremen 1 (Bittencourt 32')
Man of the match Leonardo Bittencourt (Werder Bremen)
Leaderboard
63 - Mike Lorenzo-Vera (FRA)
64 - Rory McIlroy (NIR)
66 - Jon Rahm (ESP)
67 - Tom Lewis (ENG), Tommy Fleetwood (ENG)
68 - Rafael Cabrera-Bello (ESP), Marcus Kinhult (SWE)
69 - Justin Rose (ENG), Thomas Detry (BEL), Francesco Molinari (ITA), Danny Willett (ENG), Li Haotong (CHN), Matthias Schwab (AUT)
Results:
5pm: Abu Dhabi Fillies Classic (PA) Prestige Dh 110,000 1.400m | Winner: AF Mouthirah, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)
5.30pm: Abu Dhabi Colts Classic (PA) Prestige Dh 110,000 1,400m | Winner: AF Saab, Antonio Fresu, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 80,000 1,600m | Winner: Majd Al Gharbia, Saif Al Balushi, Ridha ben Attia
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Championship (PA) Listed Dh 180,000 1,600m | Winner: RB Money To Burn, Pat Cosgrave, Eric Lemartinel
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Handicap Dh 70,000 2,200m | Winner: AF Kafu, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
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Pakhtoons Owners: Habib Khan and Tajuddin Khan; Key player: Shahid Afridi
Maratha Arabians Owners: Sohail Khan, Ali Tumbi, Parvez Khan; Key player: Virender Sehwag
Bangla Tigers Owners: Shirajuddin Alam, Yasin Choudhary, Neelesh Bhatnager, Anis and Rizwan Sajan; Key player: TBC
Colombo Lions Owners: Sri Lanka Cricket; Key player: TBC
Kerala Kings Owners: Hussain Adam Ali and Shafi Ul Mulk; Key player: Eoin Morgan
Venue Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Format 10 overs per side, matches last for 90 minutes
Timeline October 25: Around 120 players to be entered into a draft, to be held in Dubai; December 21: Matches start; December 24: Finals
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Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir
Pushkin Press
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