Epaillard, Maher lead star parade at CHI Al Shaqab

In-form Julien Epaillard will be keen to continue his golden run in Qatar when the prestigious five-star CHI Al Shaqab kicks-off at the magnificent Al Shaqab arena today. At the season opening round of the Global Champions Tour last week, Epaillard stunned the odds as he clinched the Grand Prix title.Apart from walking away with the big bounty of €123,750, the Frenchman had also finished runner-up twice and in third place once, during the three-day championship. Now the 41-year-old will be hoping he can carry the momentum into CHI Al Shaqab with his 11-year-old stallion Usual Suspect d’Auge, which had lit up the LGCT Grand Prix with a fantastic fluid clear in the jump-off.Epaillard will be joined by the usual star cast of the world’s top riders. Britain’s Ben Maher and  Emily Moffitt, Switzerland’s Pius Schwizer, Daniel Deusser of Germany and Australia’s Edwina Tops-Alexander will all be gunning for the CSI 5* 1.60m class Grand Prix glory on Saturday.Maher, who finished second to Epaillard in the GCT’s feature event, will be back with his 10-year-old gelding Explosion W. Maher, who won the  team gold at the 2012 London Olympics. Maher has high hopes from his horse, saying, “I think it’s just a matter of time before he becomes a showjumping household name.”The pair of Maher and Explosion W has been impressive since last year with some breathtaking jumping and they could be the star of CHI Al Shaqab over the next three days. “Explosion has experience beyond his years,” Maher had said. “His game face is always on and he believes he can win. He gives me as a rider the belief that I can also do anything. I think we’re just at the start of Explosion’s career, but I really feel that further down the line he could become one of the best showjumpers in the world,” added the 36-year-old, who is the reigning GCT overall champion and 2018 Grand Prix of Doha winner.Two-time GCT overall champion and Super Grand Prix winner Edwina Tops-Alexander will be the one to watch out for as the Australian has delivered at the favourite venue Shaqab.CHI Al Shaqab will see 91 riders and 139 horses from 23 nations participate in the event, which Al Shaqab is organising for the sixth time and is the only equestrian competition of its kind in the Middle East and Asia region. The  riders will compete in the Olympic equestrian disciplines of Showjumping, Dressage, and Para Dressage Meanwhile, Qatar’s hopes will rest once again on its’ star riders Bassem Hassan Mohamed and Sheikh Ali bin Khalid al-Thani. The Olympians will lead Qatar’s challenge, with this year’s Amir’s Golden Sword winner Faleh Suwead al-Ajami, Khalid al-Suwaidi and Sultan Salmen forming the five-member team for the hosts. Bassem and Sheikh Ali failed to set the stage on fire at the GCT and will aiming to make amends at the CHI Al Shaqab.  The home riders will also feature in the ninth round of the Hathab national Series set to be held on the sidelines of the three-day championships.Meanwhile, the Asian Equestrian Federation (AEF) General Assembly will take place at Al Shaqab, with Hamad bin Abdulrahman al-Attiyah, president of both the Qatar Equestrian Federation and the Asian Equestrian Federation, standing for re-election.“This year is a unique year for the Asian body as we will be staging the General Assembly this week. At the same time, we will have world’s best riders competing at CHI Al Shaqab. We thank Al Shaqab for their close cooperation administratively and otherwise also,” al-Attiyah said. “The meeting of the Asian Equestrian Federation is a very important addition to the agenda, as the elections will be held for the important positions such as that of President and Vice President,” the QEF president added.Other than the equestrian extravaganza, Al Shaqab will also host an exciting indoor and outdoor Entertainment Zone offering an array of fun activities for children to enjoy, including pony rides, magic and circus shows, gaming areas, interactive video and virtual reality games, and F1 and horse simulators.Other provisions include a food court and coffee corners. A latte art competition was also held yesterday with the winner walking away with $10,000 in prize money.