M7 Stables off to perfect start at Dubai Crown Prince Endurance Festival

M7 Endurance Stables got their Dubai Crown Prince Endurance Festival campaign off to a winning start at Dubai International Endurance City in Seeh Al Salam with Argentina’s Milena Mendez stamping her authority on the opening race of the series.

The first race was a 101km Ladies Ride held on Tuesday.

Partnering Poli, a 13-year-old trained by Mohammed Ahmad Al Subosi, Mendez completed the four-loop ride in 3 hours, 29 minutes and 12 seconds (3:29:12) at an average speed of 28.97kph.

Finishing second a further nine seconds in arrears was ABH Endurance Stables’ rider-horse pair of Sara Mohammed Ahmed and Rushoz Lieutenant, who clocked 3:29:21.

Mendez’s M7 Endurance Stables team-mates Fatma Abdulla Abbas and her mount Willowmere Encore snatched the final spot on the podium with a time of 3:29:25.

Mendez had won the prestigious CEN 100 km HH The President of the UAE Cup for Ladies in 2001 and was last seen taking the summit on a podium in 2023 when claiming the 119 km Al Fahidi Endurance Cup at DIEC.

Her best performance thereafter had been her runners-up finish in the HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Cup for Ladies in 2023.

The Argentine rider, however, was determined to get back to winning ways and left no stone unturned as she kept close to the pace set by Massa Tonbakji aboard Al Wathba Stables’ Bahiaa during the 35 km first loop.

Tonbakji made way for the Italian Veronica Giussani of Al Maghaweer Stables to dominate over the second and third loops on DS Creston.

Giussani seemed in control going into the fourth and final loop over 20km, but her mount was eliminated on metabolic grounds after returning, which paved the way for Mendez.

Mendez rode with calculated precision throughout and stuck to her team’s tactics perfectly to make a successful push for the title. Ranked sixth after the first and second loops, she made a purposeful drop to 12th during the third loop before asking Poli for a colossal winning effort that ensured a comfortable victory.

The Dubai Crown Prince Endurance Festival, organised by Dubai Equestrian Club in association with the UAE Equestrian and Racing Federation, comprises four rides with the Ladies event followed by Wednesday’s 101-km Dubai Crown Prince Ride for Private Stables, which runs over an identical distance.

The third ride on the schedule for Thursday is 120-km Yamamah Endurance Cup for Mares, while the fourth and final competition is the showpiece Dubai Crown Prince Endurance Cup sponsored by Dubai’s globally-renowned property development giant Emaar Properties (120km) on January 11.

The Dubai Crown Prince Endurance Festival stands as one of the most prestigious and highly anticipated events in the UAE’s endurance calendar, holding a special place in the hearts of equestrian enthusiasts and riders alike.

Each year, some of the best riders and horses participate in the event.

The event’s profound importance is deeply intertwined with the name of Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE, whose dedication to the sport and whose visionary leadership have elevated this festival to a premier position on the international stage.

Sheikh Hamdan has an impressive record of achievements. After winning his second successive CISM World Military Endurance Championship in March 2014, he was crowned world champion of the 2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG) in Normandy, France, organised by the International Equestrian Federation.

Sheikh Hamdan then went on to win the 2015 HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Endurance Cup for the second year in a row.