Salmeen rides Guilder’s Empire of the Sun to glory

Salmeen Sultan al-Suwaidi made it two wins in a row as the Qatari rider clinched the Big Tour class, the feature event of the 11th leg of Hathab Equestrian Series yesterday.On Friday, Salmeen had won the Medium Tour title with Guilder’s Empire of the Sun. Yesterday, the dynamic pair continued their sizzling form to pocket another title in front of a packed audience at Souq Waqif’s western square.Salmeen and his veteran gelding Guilder’s Empire of the Sun flew around the course to finish in 36.38 seconds, for which the rider won QR7,500 in prize money. The victory more importantly will give Salmeen valuable points to be in the race for the overall title of the 12-leg Hathab series.Rashid Towaim al-Marri finished nearly two seconds behind the winner as he combined Beyonce to come home in 38.29 secs for a runner-up place. The third spot went to Cyrine Cherif astride Gerlin VD Waterkant, the pair taking 44.68secs to finish their round but also committed a fault.In the Open Class, Mohamed Sultan al-Suwaidi emerged triumphant with his nine-year-old gelding Numero Uno T. The duo’s winning time was 54.82secs well ahead of rest of the competitors. Mohamed took home QR3,750 for his victory. Awad Alqahtani on Gerenice of Colors finished second, followed by Hamad Nasser al-Qadi astride Galwaybay Merbreaker in third. With yesterday’s Hathab Series, the six-day Souq Waqif Equestrian Festival concluded. The event attracted large audience, with families particularly thronging the venue to watch top Qatari rider and horses in action.Over the six days, top Arabian horses were auctioned; the Arabian Peninsula championship and pony races were also held. The equine extravaganza was organised by the Private Engineering Office, in co-operation with the Qatar Equestrian Federation, Racing and Equestrian Club and Al Shaqab, member of Qatar Foundation. Meanwhile, the popular Hathab series has one more leg to go with the 12th and final round scheduled to be held at Al Shaqab indoor arena from April 26th to 28th. Hathab, meaning ‘Canter’ in Arabic, is an initiative of HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad al-Thani, president of the Qatar Olympic Committee.The championship is jointly organised by Al Shaqab and Qatar Equestrian Federation.The series, which carries a total prize money of QR1 million, was launched with the aim of improving the standard of horse riding among Qatari youths, while also encouraging the involvement of private stables and individual horse owners to increase awareness of horsemanship as part of Qatar’s history and tradition.ResultsBig Tour – Table A, Competition with winning round, Art 276.2.1, 2.3, 130/140 cm, Prize Money: QR30,0001. Salmeen Sultan al-Suwaidi. Horse:Guilder’s Empire of the Sun. Time: 36.38secs. Prize money: QR7,5002. Rashid Towaim al-Marri. Beyonce. 38.29ses. QR6,0003. Cyrine Cherif. Gerlin VD Waterkant. 44.68secs. QR4,500Open Class, Table A, One round against the clock, Art. 238.2.1, 115/125 cm, Prize Money: QR15,0001. Mohamed Sultan al-Suwaidi. Horse: Numero Uno – T. Time: 54.82secs. Prize money: QR3,7502. Awad Alqahtani. Gerenice of Colors. 56.49secs. QR3,0003. Hamad Nasser al-Qadi. Galwaybay Merbreaker. 57.54secs. QR2,250The Big Tour podium winners pose with the officials.