Sheikh Ali Bin Khalid Al Thani & First Devision. ph: Lotfi Garsi Media
It was a win on home court for Sheikh Ali Bin Khalid Al Thani at the Qatar International Show Jumping Championship CSI4*-W in Doha, Qatar. Victor in the Grand Prix World Cup competition, Al Thani bested a field of 14 horse and rider combinations on November 18, 2017, securing qualifying points towards the 2018 World Cup Final in Paris, as well as the lions share of the winning purse.
Al Thani piloted the 12-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding First Devision (Andiamo x Perhaps vh Molenvondel) to one of only two double clear rounds produced in the competition. Joined by Australia’s Edwina Tops-Alexander in he jump-off, Al Thani secured the win with a leading time of 55.77s.
The two have been partnered together on the rated circuit since October 2014. In the race for a ticket to the Paris Final, Al Thani currently sits 8th in the Arab League standings with 33 points. The top eight rider in the League will qualify for the Final. There remains to be seven more qualifiers in the region.
Second on the podium, Tops-Alexander and the nine-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding Inca Boy Van T Vianahof (Diamant de Semilly x Cash) finished with a time of 63.09s.
Kuwait’s Ali Al Khorafi and the ten-year-old mare Cheril (1053 Guidam Sohn x Centgraf) closed out the podium placings in 3rd with a time of 53.57s.
The full results can be viewed here.