Maitha dominates Private Stables Ride at Dubai Crown Prince Endurance Festival

Emirati women continued to dominate proceedings on the second day of the 2025 Dubai Crown Prince Endurance Festival with Maitha Mohamed Al Qubaisi claiming the Private Stables Ride for Zabeel Stables aboard Picnic Park Parisian Dawn at Dubai International Endurance City in Seeh Al Salam on Wednesday.

Partnering the 11-year-old mare trained by Mohammad Ahmad Almaari, Maitha completed the four loop 101 km ride in a time of three hours, 26 minutes and 25 seconds (3:26:25), the winners going about their business at an average speed of 29.36 kph.

Maitha’s win came a day after Argentina’s Milena Mendez won the festival-opening Ladies Ride for M7 Endurance Stables.

The last time Maitha stood proudly atop a podium was back in 2021, a year that marked a significant achievement in her endurance riding career.

She clinched a remarkable victory in the Ladies’ event at the prestigious CEN 100 km Sheikha Fatma Bint Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Endurance Cup.

And her most recent top three finishes had been a second in the Ladies event of last year’s Dubai Crown Prince Endurance Festival.

However, all that changed Wednesday as she climbed up the rung in steady increments going from seventh to fourth to third, before eventually claiming a first success in four years with a solid final push aboard Picnic Park Parisian Dawn that saw her snatch the summit off Mayed Adel Al Hosani, who partnered Delhia De Meros in the colours of Al Sarab Endurance Stables.

Mayed had himself done well to reach the top of the leaderboard, having started the day in fourth and climbed up to second during the course of the second loop over 25 kms.

But he had to be content with a third place finish after clocking 3:30:02 as Maitha and her mount turned on the heat in the final loop over 20 kms.

Al Kamda Endurance Stables’ Leila Mohammed Al Marzooqi managed to hold on to her spot during the final loop and might have gladly accepted her runner-up finish, having started the day as the overall leader aboard Goldika Folie and then dropped to third while negotiating the second phase of the competition. Leila and her mount were clocked at 3:26:43.

The Dubai Crown Prince Endurance Festival, organised by Dubai Equestrian Club in association with the UAE Equestrian and Racing Federation, comprises four rides in all and started with the Ladies Ride on Monday.

Wednesday’s Private Stables competition will be followed by the 120 km Yamamah Endurance Cup for Mares on Thursday, 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 Saturday, 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.