Irish rider Bertram Allen, guides Molly Malone V over an obstacle on his way to win the S04 - CSI5* Table A. against the clock 1.50m competition at the Al Shaqab outdoor arena yesterday. Picture: Lotfi Garsi
Irish rider Bertram Allen yesterday regaled fans with a sublime session of showjumping as his ride with Molly Malone V produced a flawless routine to win the feature event on the opening day of CHI Al Shaqab.
Molly Malone V clocked a time of 57.70 seconds to win the 1.50cm class at Al Shaqab Arena.
French rider Roger Yves Host - astride Qoud'Coeur de La Loge - finished in second spot. Yes Host clocked a time of 58.04 seconds.
Swiss rider Pius Schwizer (Balou Rubin R) ended the CSI5* event in third place in a time of 58.06 seconds.
Moroccan rider Abdelkebir Ouaddar finished in fourth spot with Quickly de Kreisker (58.16 seconds).
Frencman Kevin Staut (Elky van het Indihof Hdc) grabbed the fifth spot in a time of 58.48 seconds.
"Molly has been a great horse," Allen said after winning the top prize of €23,000 for his efforts.
"She will have an off day on Friday. Will have her ready for the Grand Prix," he added.
Second-placed Yves Host after winning €18,400 said: "We had a great ride today. My horse is enjoying the rides here at the big arena under lights."
Earlier, Morrocan riding giant Ouaddar produced a flawless routine with Cordano Sitte Z to win the 1.45cm class at Al Shaqab Arena.
Ouaddor's 15-year-old stallion clocked a time of 28.94 seconds to nail the top position worth €6250.
Swedish rider Henrik von Eckermann - astride Chacanno - finished in second spot in a time of 29.41 seconds.
The second-place finish was worth €5,000.
Qatar's Olympic squad rider Bassem Hassan Mohammed who was in the saddle with Argelith Squid ended the day in third spot.
Bassem won €3750 after clocking a time of 30.31 seconds.
Italian duo Emanuele Gaudiano (Caspar 232, 30.52 seconds) and Piergiorgio Gucci (Heartbreaker Vd Achterhoe, 30.59 seconds) completed the top 5.
Earlier, Columbian rider Andres Penalosa lifted spirits by winning the opening CSI3* class in style.
Penalosa is the only rider from Columbia in the entire competition. He produced a strong ride with Barcelona in this two phase competition, recording a fast time of 31.02 seconds in the second phase.
Saudi rider Ramzy Hamad Al Duhami finished just a shade behind with a second-phase time of 31.73 seconds with his Belgian bred horse High Quality J.
The third place went to Ali Al Khorafi on the 10-year-old gelding Columbus (32.12 seconds).
In a rather delightful performance, accuracy and tight turns won the day for Al Khorafi - who was astride Cheryl - in the second CSI 3* competition.
Al Khorafi, performed a blazing round to finish on a time of 56.80 seconda to corner glory.
Speaking after his win, he was full of praise for his horse who is owned by Kuwait Riding Centre.
“I love competing here in Al Shaqab and there are some great riders to beat this year, " Al Khoraifi said.
"I was really pleased with my horse and I hope next year, I will compete her in the 5*," he added with a smile.
Qatar's Mubarak Yousef A S Al Rumaihi riding the Dutch bred Vivaldi K finished second in a time of 57.6.
Qatari rider Nasser Al Ghazeli finished third in a time of 57.70 seconds on board the Hannovarian mare Delloren.
