MARLON MODOLO ZANOTELLI MASTERS PRESSURE & WINS CHI AL SHAQAB GRAND PRIX PRESENTED BY LONGINES
Uliano Vezzani reaffirmed his reputation for uncompromising course design at tonight’s CSI5* 1.60m CHI Al Shaqab Grand Prix, presented by Longines, as his technical course took a significant toll on horse and rider combinations with only 10 of the 44 starters navigating their way into the jump-off. Notably absent from the final decider was world number one Scott Brash; having opted to rest his top string Hello Jefferson, Brash campaigned Hello Mango, who finished with four faults. Despite the result, Brash remains in formidable form, having already secured two CSI3* Grand Prix victories and three CSI5* wins this January alone at this Doha Equestrian Tour.
The jump-off promised a fiercely competitive showdown, echoing the narrative of last weekend’s HH The Amir’s Sword Grand Prix. The Saudi contingent was well-represented by a familiar trio, albeit on different mounts: Abdulrahman Alrajhi on Heartbeat W, the recent Sword winner Abdullah Al Sharbatly on Skorphults Baloutendro, and runner-up Khaled Almobty with Davenport VDL. They were joined by Belgium’s Abdel Saïd on Wathnan Bonne Amie and the Sword's third-place finisher, Pieter Devos, this time riding Casual Dv Z. Rounding out the elite group were Brazil's Santiago Lambre on Zeusz and Marlon Modolo Zanotelli on Charly Heart, Denmark’s Caroline Rehoff Pedersen with Polonis L and Andreas Schou on Uriga VA, Greece’s Ioli Mytilineou on l'Artiste de Toxandra, and Lebanon’s Roger Chammas riding Glondon Di San Giovanni.
Ultimately, it was Marlon Modolo Zanotelli who mastered the pressure of the final round, guiding Charly Heart to a spectacular brewing win with a lightning-fast time of 36.65 seconds. His precision left no room for error, relegating a consistently brilliant Pieter Devos to the second step of the podium. Roger Chammas delivered a standout performance for Lebanon to secure third place, concluding an evening of elite sport that tested the very best of the Doha Equestrian Tour.
--ENDS--
Full results here