Saudi Arabia’s national anthem echoes through Dar Es Salam
Rabat, Friday, October 9, 2026 – The second week of competition continues in Rabat with the CSI2* and CSIO4*-W. In the day’s highlight event, the CSIO4*-W 1.55m Grand Prix, Saudi Arabia’s Abdullah Alsharbatly claimed victory aboard Diriyah. France’s Olivier Perreau and Switzerland’s Edouard Schmitz completed the podium.
Abdullah Alsharbatly and Diriyah claim Grand Prix victory
Following yesterday’s qualifying class, 46 horse-and-rider combinations lined up for the CSIO4*-W 1.55m Grand Prix – Prix HRH Princess Lalla Amina, contested over two rounds. They faced a challenging course designed by Spanish course designer Santiago Varela.
“When designing this Grand Prix, I naturally had the Nations Cup in mind, but also the differences in experience and ability among the competitors,” he explained. “Nevertheless, this is still a 4* competition, with all the demands that come with it. In the end, I’m delighted with the number of clear rounds, which stands at nine. Looking back, the time allowed was perhaps a little tight, but I don’t think it had any impact on the final result. We’re ready for Sunday!”
It wasn’t until the 13th combination entered the arena that the clear-round jingle was heard at Dar Es Salam, thanks to Germany’s Harm Lahde aboard Gsi Sir Dominator. Five other riders followed suit: Brazil’s Pedro Grandi Backeuser aboard La Vie en Rose, Italy’s Roberto Previtali with Contrario-Blue, Switzerland’s Edouard Schmitz and his trusted partner Gamin Van’T Naastveldhof, France’s Olivier Perreau aboard Himalaya du Temple, and finally Saudi Arabia’s Abdullah Alsharbatly with the fantastic Diriyah.
Among the 12 combinations who qualified for the second round, Alsharbatly proved the fastest, stopping the clock at 50.83 seconds.
“I’m very happy with today’s victory. My mare was exceptional once again,” said the winner. “I’d like to thank the organisers for the quality of this event. We’ve been given such a warm welcome, and it’s a pleasure to be here.”
France’s Olivier Perreau finished second aboard his nine-year-old mare Himalaya du Temple (51.65 seconds), while Switzerland’s Edouard Schmitz took third place with Gamin Van’T Naastveldhof (52.01 seconds).
Santiago Diaz Ortega does it again
Following his victory and third-place finish yesterday in the Prix ONMT, the Colombian rider returned to the top of the podium, this time aboard Jump For Joy, in the CSIO4*-W 1.40m Prix Administration des Douanes et des Impôts Indirects, clocking a time of 58.74 seconds.
“I’m really delighted with today’s result aboard Jump For Joy, as I was very disappointed yesterday after we had to retire from the qualifying class,” explained the rider. “It disrupted my plans for the weekend, but now the goal is to build on today’s performance. Chasspleen, with whom I won yesterday, will compete in tomorrow’s 1.45m class, while Jump For Joy will have a rest day tomorrow before competing in Sunday’s 1.45m class.”
Morocco’s Majid Djaidi, who also finished second yesterday in the Prix ONMT, repeated his performance aboard Amidam Tivoli Z (60.06 seconds). Belgium’s Jean-Christophe de Grande completed the podium with Cado Z (60.36 seconds).
Earlier in the day, Abdullah Alsharbatly claimed another victory in the CSI2* feature class, the 1.40m Prix SNRT, a qualifier for tomorrow’s Grand Prix, aboard Kanturo BH. Competing on home soil, Morocco’s Abdelkebir Ouaddar finished second with Chacsara, followed by his compatriot Farid Amanzar aboard Its A Kind Of Magic vd Kalevallei.
The final class of the day, the CSI2* 1.30m Prix Avis, saw Morocco’s Hicham Er-Radi take victory aboard Ceika Malouine (72.17 seconds). France’s Mélanie Lemoine Jondet finished second with Cassatina (72.98 seconds), while Italy’s Beatrice Palumbo completed the podium aboard Casarinta Blue PS (76.86 seconds).
Saturday, October 10 programme
9:45am: CSI2* 1.35m – Prix CDG
1:30pm: CSI2* 1.45m – Prix Ministère de l’Intérieur
5pm: CSIO4*-W 1.45m – Prix Comité National Olympique Marocain
7pm: CSIO4*-W 1.45m – Prix Maroc Telecom