First victory for Saudi Arabia

Previous Next

The Commune de Ramatuelle class which opened the weekend of competition this morning at the Longines Athina Onassis Horse Show featured 16 competitors. Fifth to go, France’s Serge Varsano and Luca Toni went into the lead in a time of 32.74 seconds, a pole position that the combination kept until the last minute. A few seconds before the end of the class, the last competitor, Sheikh Samir Mirdad had a perfect round in a record time of 28.27 seconds with his thirteen-year-old gelding, Mirdads Maaa Shaaa Alllah. A victory which thrilled his rider. "It’s incredible! I was a bit nervous going into the ring for the first time, but with Mirdads Maaa Shaaa Alllah, I felt positive. I had a good feeling about how things would go. I had a plan and my horse performed perfectly. Even better than that! I am delighted to be here, at one of the best shows in the world. Everyone is very welcoming and the facilities are perfect,” said this morning’s champion, with a huge smile.