Bahrain Showjumping Team Captain Shaikh Hassan bin Rashid Al Khalifa secured a historic fifth place podium finish in the medium tour of the Monaco Global Champions Tour (GCT) final.
Riding his own 13-year-old gelding, HBR Versace, Shaikh Hassan qualified for the jump off by clearing the testing first round course situated in the picturesque Port Hercules of Monaco.
Just metres from the streets where the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix takes place, the Kingdom’s showjumping team captain raced around the jump-off course and finished in a time of 34.20. That secured him his podium as he made history for Bahrain by being the first Bahraini rider to claim a podium in the Monaco GCT.
“I’m extremely proud, and honoured to make history for Bahrain and get this podium finish in Monaco,” Shaikh Hassan said. “The series is very competitive. The quality of horses and riders is the best in the world. I came here to compete against them and prove that I can compete on the biggest stage of the sport.”
Shaikh Hassan, who is Bahrain’s highest ranked rider on the Longines World Ranking list, has recently partnered up with former world number one and current Olympic team gold medalist Ben Maher.
He says: “In the beginning of the year I made a decision to train with the best and that decision has paid off big time.”
The duo are aiming to capitalise on the current success by competing in the biggest showjumping events in the world and hope to continue getting results on the global stage for the kingdom.
Next stop for Shaikh Hassan is the Global Champions Tour of Paris. He added: “I will continue to learn the system with Ben. We will be competing in a few more stops of the GCT this year. We are looking to increase our horse power and we will continue to aim and win the most prestigious show jumping events of the world.
“I would like to thank Bahrain Royal Equestrain and Endurance Federation (BREEF) chairman Shaikh Faisal bin Rashid Al Khalifa, BREEF showjumping president Shaikh Khalid bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, and BREEF for their continued support.”