Bertram Allen & Molly Malone. Ph. via Al Shaqab
Ireland’s Bertram Allen opened his weekend in Doha, Qatar with a victory on Thursday, February 2, 2017. At the CHI Al Shaqab, he topped his record of one year ago in the opening feature class aboard Molly Malone. In 2016, Allen and Molly Malone came 3rd in the Thursday class at Al Shaqab.
Frank Rothenberger of Germany designed the track for the single round, 1.50m CSI5* competition against the clock that drew 41 top-class starters to the unreal facilities at Al Shaqab. Under the spacious domed arena, Allen and his 13-year-old AES mare (Kannan x Cavalier) did what they do best—leaving all the fences up in the quickest time.
Allen, who revealed on Thursday that he will be retiring his other top partner Romanov, was able to edge out 2nd placed finisher Roger-Yves Bost of France with Qoud’Coeur de La Loge. Allen’s time of 57.70 seconds stood apart from the rest of the class with only Bost’s 58.04 coming close.
In 3rd place was Switzerland’s Pius Schwizer, who finished in 58.06 aboard Balou Rubin R. Clear rounds were not hard to come by, with 14 riders in total finding a successful path over the fences.
Two more full days of international show jumping, which is running alongside CDI dressage competition, are well underway at Al Shaqab. With its stunning facilities and top-notch competition, the Middle Eastern stop is a favorite for riders who travel there from around the globe.
See the full class result at this link.