ITALY’S PIERGIORGIO BUCCI CLAIMS CSIO5* LONGINES GRAND PRIX QUALIFIER IN ABU DHABI
The opening day of five-star competition at the Longines League of Nations™ and The Emirates Jumping Cup delivered top-level sport under the lights at Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club, culminating in a fiercely contested CSIO5* Longines Grand Prix Qualifier.
The competition week, however, got underway on Wednesday evening with CSI2* action, as 57 riders lined up for the Al Khail Square Cup over a 1.30m course. Uzbekistan’s Bakhromjon Gaziev set the early benchmark aboard Santos Hippica to produce a fast and faultless clear in 59.80s and claim the first title of the show. Greece’s Dimitri Natsis rode Nadia Taryams’s Okay Special into second place in 61.16s, while Emirati rider Sultan Fadel Al Kaabi rounded out the podium on his own Ilou de Preuilly.
Thursday’s feature class, the 1.50m CSIO5* Longines Grand Prix Qualifier, saw 53 combinations come forward over a technical track devised by Chief Course Designer Frank Rothenberger (GER) that tested scope and precision. Fourteen progressed to the jump-off, but it was Italy’s Piergiorgio Bucci aboard Casalia DG who clinched the win in 43.35s, just fractions ahead of Emirati superstar Omar Abdul Aziz Al Marzooqi riding Emeraude de Zabala, who finished second, clear in 43.87s. Jack Whitaker, representing Great Britain with D&H Valmy de la Lande jumped into third place in this €105,500 class.
Earlier in the day, the CSI2* Fatima Bint Mubarak Cup set a lively tone with a fast-paced 1.30m two-phase class. A field of 52 riders came forward, with 17 double clears, but it was Osama Al Zabibi from Syria aboard the 18-year-old Bec Hugo — the oldest horse in the class — who set the quickest time in the second phase, stopping the clock in 19.84s. The UAE’s Moftah Al Dhaheri followed in second place on Inessie di Lirot, while Bakhromjon Gaziev made his second podium appearance of the show riding Santos Hippica into third place.
The CSI2* Abu Dhabi Sports Council Qualifier followed, raising the technical bar to 1.40m and attracting 65 starters, all vying for a place in Saturday’s CSI2* Grand Prix. Eighteen riders produced double clears in the two-phase class, with Eman Al Saffar from the UAE and Jade HPE completing the second phase in the fast time of 26.69s to take the win. The 23-year-old athlete edged fellow Emirati Hazza Hamad Aldhaheri into second place, riding Eloy, fractionally slower in a time of 26.95s, having held the lead since the first half of the class. Syrian speed specialist Osama Al Zabibi finished in third aboard 1st Queen in a time of 27.03s. The top 30 combinations have qualified for Saturday’s Longines Grand Prix, with a prize fund of €31,100.
Five-star action began in earnest with the CSIO5* Al Khail Square Welcome Stakes at 1.45m, where 42 combinations tackled a technical course in one round against the clock. Abdullah Humaid Al Muhairi was second to jump and immediately set a commanding early benchmark aboard Chacolu, stopping the clock in 76.24s. The Emirati rider held the lead for much of the class, applying pressure to the field as combination after combination failed to better his time. It was not until Ireland’s Shane Breen entered the arena late in the order with the experienced Scarteen that the leaderboard shifted. Producing a bold round, Breen knocked almost eight seconds off Al Muhairi’s time to storm into the lead in 68.56s and secure victory. France’s Olivier Perreau completed the podium aboard GL Events Dorai d’Aiguilly in 77.56s, as several Longines League of Nations™ contenders fine-tuned preparations ahead of Friday’s team competition.
With the first full day of action complete, attention now turns to Friday’s programme, which begins at 09:45 with the CSI2* Al Shira’aa Speed Stakes 1.40m, offering riders a final chance to qualify for the CSI2* Longines Grand Prix, followed by the CSIO5* CISM Speed Stakes 1.50m at 14:30.
Evening action gets underway from 17:30 with the course walk and official Longines League of Nations™ team parade taking on a new and innovative format. The first round begins at 18:30, where the top ten qualified nations, plus the UAE as the host nation, will compete for a share of the €700,000 prize fund and crucial qualifying points ahead of October’s Final in Barcelona. The second round is scheduled to begin at 21:20, with the top eight teams returning to contest the decisive phase of the competition. A press conference will follow at approximately 23:00 GST in the atrium adjacent to the show office.
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Photo by Nour Al Masri / UAEERF
Full results here