Bassem, Sheikh Ali carry Qatar’s hopes at Global Champions Tour

Qatar’s ace riders Bassem Hassan Mohamed and Sheikh Ali bin Khalid al-Thani will be gunning for a victory on home soil as the Longines Global Champions season kicks off at Al Shaqab arena today.Bassem’s stunning win with his gelding Gunder in 2017 is still fresh in the memory of the showjumping connoisseurs, who watched the pair seal a famous triumph at the magnificent arena. The duo will be looking for an encore on Saturday, when the feature class — the CSI 5* GCT Grand Prix of Doha — will be held.His Olympic teammate Sheikh Ali, who had finished sixth at the Rio Games in 2016, will be eager for his first success in the prestigious event. The Qatari duo are also part of the Doha Falcons team that will feature in the Global Champions League (GCL) with Great Britain’s Michael Whitaker, Dutch star Jur Vrieling, Slovakia’s Bronislav Chudyba and Japan’s Mike Kawai.But it won’t be easy for Bassem and Sheikh Ali as they are up against some of the best in business. As many as seven former World No 1 riders will be competing alongside many of the top names in the sport for the opening event of the 2019 season. At one of the best facilities in the world, the highest level of show jumping will be on display and each detail has been perfected before the six CSI 5* competitions begin. With Olympic qualifications for next year’s Tokyo Games to be held in October, Sheikh Ali was confident that battling it out against the top class riders will do them a world of good. He also highlighted the importance of the event and the calibre of competition, and was hoping that Doha Falcons will finish in top 5 this season. “LGCT is world famous; it includes the best riders in the world and participating in this event allows us to continue to improve. We cannot elevate our level if we don’t compete again the best, so it is very important for our team to do this. As a Qatari team we are interested in the GCL as it is not possible to participate in many team competitions and to have team spirit is very important for us,” he said.Over the next three days there will be over fifty riders and 99 horses competing in the GCT and GCL team series. While riders will be challenging for the first win of the season, they will also face extra pressure as they look to secure their golden ticket to the GC Prague Playoffs and the LGCT Super Grand Prix. The warm-up class for the combinations to get a feel of the breathtaking arena was held yesterday. The action starts today at 2:45pm with CSI 5* event, while the first round of GCL Doha will begin at 5:45pm. Home team Doha Falcons will be in action, and have three riders on their roster this weekend - looking to play to their strengths in front of their local crowd. Tomorrow will see two top level competitions, before the GCL Doha winners are revealed at 2:30pm on Saturday. The climax of the weekend, the LGCT Grand Prix of Doha kicks off at 5:45pm.The reigning LGCT champion and 2018 Grand Prix of Doha winner Ben Maher of Great Britain is back to regain his title, while two-time overall champion and Super Grand Prix winner Edwina Tops-Alexander of Australia will be the one to watch out as she tries to get her hands on the first ticket to the GC Prague Playoffs. In the GCL, The London Knights have a strong team with Maher, Emily Moffitt and Nicola Philippaerts all jumping the finest horses in their strings. Explosion W rocketed his way onto the top of the podium here at Al Shaqab just three months ago, Copain du Perchet CH looks fresh and ready for action while 11-year-old stallion H&M Chilli Willi is used to performing well under the lights in Doha. Four-time Olympic Gold Medal winner and the German legend Ludger Beerbaum of Germany has two fantastic horses with him. Chiara 222 first jumped here in Doha seven years ago and won the first round of the GCL competition here last season proving her testimony to being at the top of the show jumping world. He also brings Take A Chance On Me Z.Making his debut performance in the LGCT with Denis Lynch of Ireland the well-known stallion Hector van d’Abdijhoeve has had plenty of success last season with another Irish Bertram Allen and has jumped in this arena before back in 2016. Valkenswaard United teammates Bertram Allen (Ireland), Alberto Zorzi (Italy) and Frank Schttert (the Netherlands) will all be ones to watch tomorrow as the qualification for the LGCT Grand Prix of Doha gets underway. Frank’s beautiful bay Chianti’s Champion won the only LGCT Grand Prix they have ever jumped in last year so they will be hoping to continue their winning streak. Bertram and Harley vs Bisschop’s strong partnership is growing, as shown through the latter half of the 2018 season. Competition Schedule Today: At 2:45pm: CSI 5* Two phases 1.45m (€25.000); At 5:45pm: CSI 5* GCL of Doha Round 1 - 1.50/1.55m (€59.000 to individual class winners)Tomorrow: At 4:30pm: CSI 5* Against-the-clock 1.50m (€50.200); At 6:30pm: CSI 5* Against-the-clock with jump-off 1.50/1.55m (€145.800)On Saturday: At 2:30pm: CSI 5* GCL of Doha Round 2 - 1.55m (€95.000 to individual class winners); At 5:45pm: CSI 5* Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of Doha - 1.60m (€375.000)