Qatar’s Saeed al Naimi wins Endurance Cup

Saeed al Naimi from Qatar sealed a sensational victory in the 2024 Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Endurance Cup on Saturday afternoon, overcoming a strong challenge from runner-up Fares Abu Ras of Saudi Arabia to win the flagship international endurance event in Alula.

Naimi completed the challenging 120km route on his ride Guilen Fantasia in a classified time of 05:22:01, finishing 1:14 ahead of Abu Ras and 23:19 minutes in front of Hamad al Tamimi from the UAE who completed the top three.

Incredible individual displays of speed, stamina, and strategic pace management by the trio saw them take top honors ahead of a 200-strong field that boasted the world’s greatest, most renowned riders.

The riders who featured in the CEI 2* competition represented a total of 50 counties with a total SAR15MN prize pot on offer.

A new world record for an endurance event, these factors - together with regional royalty, VIPS, and global audiences in attendance - further highlighted the ever-growing prestige of the Endurance Cup in this record-extending fifth edition.

Organised by the Royal Commission for Alula (RCU) in partnership with the Fédération Équestre Internationale (FEI) and the Saudi Arabian Equestrian Federation (SAEF), the event was an outstanding occasion like always at Alfursan Equestrian Village - providing inspiring shows sportsmanship and equestrian excellence as promised.

“I’m really proud to have won this competition and competed against so many talented riders from different countries - it was a very difficult contest but I’m delighted to have made it back first in the end,” said Saeed al Naimi in his immediate reaction. “The track was challenging throughout, but I loved riding out there. The experience was great and I’m already looking forward to coming back in the future,” he added.

Prince Abdullah bin Fahd bin Abdullah, President of SAEF, congratulated Saeed al Naimi and every rider who competed, adding that “their performances helped pave the way for an experience that audiences will remember for many years to come.”

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Endurance Cup is one of the biggest endurance events on the Saudi Equestrian calendar and “this edition has shown why such events in the kingdom are held in such high regard regionally and internationally,” he asserted.

Abeer al Akel, Acting CEO of RCU, is of the view that the 2024 Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Endurance Cup has been an incredible success in every way possible.