Today's Edition
DUBAI (ALETIHAD)
Zamzam Al Hasani made history by becoming the first Omani female to win an event of the Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Endurance Festival when she claimed the opening win of the four-race meeting at Dubai International Endurance City in Seeh Al Salam on Tuesday.
It turned out to be a massive victory in the Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Cup for Ladies as she made a colossal leap up the leaderboard to claim the summit in the nick of time aboard the locally owned Dorzok.
Al Hasani and her mount, owned by Seeh Al Salam Endurance Stables and trained by Salem Al Sabousi, were 11th heading into the last of four loops of the DIEC 101-kilometre race, but managed to clinch victory by a second in a time of three hours, 22 minutes and 57 seconds (3:22:57).
The Omani rider was followed home by a pair of M7 Stables riders in Argentina’s Milena Mendez, who might have been heartbroken with the one-second margin of defeat on the back of Poli, and fellow South American, Luba Leoni Varela, of Uruguay, who partnered Willowmere Encore and was home in 3:23:38. Both M7 Stables horses were trained by Mohammed Al Sabousi.
Al Maghaweer Stables’ Italian rider Veronica Giussani took command of the race astride DS Creston having posted the fastest time over the first loop, spanning 35kms, but made way for Reem Al Mansoori on Al Aasfa 2 Endurance Stables’ Agora VF in the 25km second loop.
In a bid to keep reserve in the tank for the final stages, Al Mansoori rode with caution during the course of the third loop over 21kms and dropped to 20th on the leaderboard. That left Fay Mohammad Ali aboard Al Bararri Stables’ Hoggar D’Olbia as the one to catch during the course of the fourth and final loop covering 20kms.
Al Hosani’s only major success before this had been in the CEN Ladies 100km Ladies Emirates Heritage Club Cup in 2017. Thereafter, she won a minor event at Barka in her native country.
In Dubai, the determined Omani national kept herself in the hunt.
She started the day ranked 11th and moved up two spots during the second loop, but she was back to where she started going into the final loop of the competition after dropping back. Aiming from her 11th position, a minute and 20 seconds behind Fay, was never going to be easy.
Yet, Al Hosani and her 15-year-old Arabian partner, had a lot of energy in their tanks and rode at a speed of just over 36km per hour during the final 20km loop, up from an average of 28.64kph until then, to go past the field for a well-deserved victory.
For their part, Mendez and Varela did well to move into the podium spots after setting off for the final loop from 14th and 17th respectively. The Ladies Cup witnessed a total of 106 pairings start, but only 46 were deemed to have completed the ride.
