UAE riders impress in King George debut

One of showjumping’s brightest young talents, the UAE’s Omar Abdul Aziz Al Marzooqi, finished runner-up in one of the most prestigious Grand Prix classes in equestrian sport on Sunday (27 July).

Omar, 22, was competing in the Al Shira’aa King George V Gold Cup at Hickstead with his equine partner Enjoy De La Mure. Although it was the first time Omar had competed in this class, he produced a superb first round clear to go into the jump-off.

Only four riders out of 46 starters made it into the second round, and Omar had the enviable position of being the last to go. With Great Britain’s Robert Whitaker going into the lead in a time of 38.88sec, Omar had very little margin for error.

The UAE rider set off in determined fashion, and his talented horse Enjoy De La Mure looked to be making easy work of the shortened jump-off course. But as the pair galloped round the open water to turn back to the final fence, they just slipped a little. It was a momentary pause, but that tiny loss of momentum saw the pair cross the finish line in 39.74sec, less than a second in arrears behind Robert.

“Enjoy was super today – he jumped unbelievably, and the feeling was fabulous from the first jump in the warm-up,” said Omar. “Being on the podium here in such a big Grand Prix is such a pleasure.”

It has been an extraordinary few years for Omar, who made his Olympic debut in Paris last summer. It was the first time the UAE showjumping team had been represented at the Games, and Omar finished 19^th individually. Later that year, he was selected as the recipient of the FEI’s Rising Star Award.

His success is in no small part down to Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the founder of Al Shira’aa Stables. Thanks to her vision and passion, the UAE riders are now competing at the very highest level of the sport. “I’d like to thank Sheikha Fatima for her support,” said Omar. “The past three years have been really big for me.”

Omar also gave credit to the five-time Hickstead Derby winner William Funnell, who is the UAE’s chef d’equipe and Team Trainer. “I must thank William, Duncan [Inglis, assistant trainer], my father and my teammates,” added Omar.

The UAE had two riders in the prizegiving for the Al Shira’aa King George V Gold Cup, with Abdullah Al Marri just missing out on the jump-off with two time penalties, after a super round on BBS McGregor to finish sixth. It was a super result for the Al Shira’aa, the long term sponsor of the Hickstead Derby, who this year increased their support to sponsor the King George V Gold Cup as well.  

“We cannot thank Al Shira’aa enough for what they’ve done for Hickstead,” said Edward Bunn, Director of the All England Jumping Course. “With Omar on the podium and two horses in the top six, it just shows the UAE are becoming a serious force to be reckoned with.  Al Shira'aa deserve all the plaudits for a superb result and for their sponsorship of this world-class event.

Sami Kettle from Al Shira’aa added: “We’re so proud to be partners here at Hickstead, and even more proud to have Omar on the podium. It’s a massive result for us as a team that works so hard daily with these horses behind the scenes. A big thank you to Sheikha Fatima, because without her, the sport wouldn’t keep growing.”