RIYADH: Kingdom Team, which is sponsored by Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, won first place in the Al-Khalediah Festival Endurance Challenge 2009 at Al-Khalediah Farm, Tebrak, which is 90km from Riyadh, on Tuesday. The equestrian event was held under the patronage of Prince Khaled bin Sultan.
Ninety riders from the Kingdom and other GCC countries took part in the five-phase 120 km endurance race, crossing elevated and sandy terrains through the morning and night.
International equestrian Abdulrahman Alhawas earned the No. 1 position in the challenge winning the Prince Khaled Cup Endurance Challenge 2009. Alhawas dedicated his achievement to Prince Alwaleed and the Kingdom Team. Alhawas said this achievement was God’s blessing first and the Prince’s continuous support to the team and its members second.
Najeeb Al-Barjes, Kingdom Team manager and trainer, said that the success of Alhawas and Kingdom equestrian team was due to the prince’s continuous support that has encouraged the team to obtain further successes.
Najeeb added that he had every confidence in the Kingdom Team as they were well prepared for this highly competitive race. Other members of the Kingdom Team who took part in this race were Humoud Al-Shamamri, Badr Al-Fard, Fahad Al-Juaid, Abdulrahman Alshafi, and Ahmad Alsulaiman.
In 2008, Kingdom Team won the Alwafa’ International Championship Cup in Damascus, Syria. The Saudi show jumping ace Khaled Al-Eid earned the highest points in the final Arab League qualifying for the World Cup Championship. In March 2008, Ramzi Al-Duhami achieved 1st place in the Qatar International Championship Cup in Doha, Qatar, a month after he won first place in the King of Bahrain Championship qualifying for the world championship finals.
Al-Duhami achieved second place in the opening round and third place for the smaller award during the International Abu Dhabi Championship that qualified him for the World Cup in January 2008.
