Shaikh Nasser hails Mohammed bin Rashid Festival success

Manama, Jan. 8 (BNA): HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, representative of His Majesty the King for Charity Works and Youth Affairs, Chairman of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports, President of Bahrain Olympic Committee, expressed utmost happiness on the tremendous success achieved by the HH Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Festival. HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa praised the support of HH Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and the Ruler of Dubai, to the endurance sport, rating it as the main catalyst for development in this sport. It's worth noting that HH Shaikh Nasser was amongst the spectators who followed the event which is considered one of the most important events in the area of horse endurance sport. During the Festival, HH Shaikh Nasser met Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and Dubai Crown Prince Shaikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. "The participation of the Bahrain Royal Endurance Team in the Festival came to contribute in making this important event a huge success. We were looking forward to be present in this prestigious event, more than to achieve top results," HH Shaikh Nasser said, stating: "The team's participation as in the previous ones, will be evaluated to spot the weaknesses to reinforce our strengths." Worth noting that UAE jockey Hameed Al Mazroui of M7 Stable won first place after completing the competition in 6:43:27 seconds, followed by compatriot Mansour Saeed Al Faresi of MRM Stable. The latter finished the race in 6:43:28 seconds. Finishing third was UAE jockey Salim Hamad Malhouf, also from M7 Stable. Meanwhile, Bahrain Royal Endurance Team jockey Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Khalifa finished ninth, completing the race in 07:16:17 seconds. Compatriot Mohammed Abdulsamad finished in the 17th position.