3.42 PM Thursday, 28 March 2024
  • City Fajr Shuruq Duhr Asr Magrib Isha
  • Dubai 04:57 06:11 12:27 15:53 18:37 19:51
28 March 2024

UAE favourites for endurance title as team lands in US

Sheikh Mohammed with the UAE time on arrival in the US. (SUPPLIED)

Published
By Staff

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai arrived in US to lead the UAE riders to the 13th World Equestrian Games to be staged on Sunday at the Kentucky Horse Park.

The UAE official riders include besides Sheikh Mohammed, Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority Sheikh Majid bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Sheikh Rashid bin Dalmouk, and Ali Muhairi.

Riders from 58 countries will compete for the world prestigious endurance title in the 160km distance race.

Building on a bright world record of successes, the UAE team is expected to harvest top titles under the leadership of Sheikh Mohammed.

Sheikh Mohammed came in first as the UAE endurance team won the 160km Stars Challenge race at Austin Park in England on July 15, 2010.

The race came as part of the UAE endurance team’s preparations for the World Endurance Championships to be held in Kentucky, USA.

The World Equestrian Games will be held in Lexington, Kentucky from 25th September to 10th October 2010.

This will be the 6th edition of the Games which are held every four years and run by the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI). For the first time, the games will be hosted by a city in the USA.

The World Equestrian Games, held every four years, are comprised of the world championships for eight equestrian sports - show jumping, dressage, eventing, driving, reining, vaulting, endurance and para-equestrian.

The inaugural games were held in 1990 in Stockholm, Sweden, with the most recent being held in Aachen Germany and have never taken place outside of Europe, until now.

The 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Kentucky will represent the largest equestrian sporting event ever held in the United States. It is anticipated that 60 nations will take part, leading to numbers of 800 or more competitors, 900 plus horses, with the attendance predicted to be around half a million spectators.