Perfect conditions – especially for the horses – to crown the best team at the CSIO4* of Rabat, Sept. 24-28: once again, Saudi Arabia. At the start of the week, Ramzy Al Duhami told us he felt “at home” at the Morocco Royal Tour. And while the victory might seem easy when simply reading the final results, in reality it was only secured at the very last moment of this Nations Cup, presented by the Ministry of National Education, Preschool and Sports.
There was already plenty of suspense from the first round, both at the top and the bottom of the leaderboard. Out in front, it was a chase behind Saudi Arabia, still untouchable. Only Stanny Van Paesschen’s Great Britain kept them in sight, but with two costly time penalties – one for Jane Annett and another for Joe Whitaker – the possibility of a jump-off was ruled out, with Italy sitting one fence behind.
At the other end of the rankings, the fight to stay in the second round was cruel. The ninth place passed from hand to hand like a hot potato between Spain, France, Morocco and even Poland. In the end, it was Morocco who missed out by just a single point – and certainly no blame could be placed on Abdelkebir Ouaddar, who produced a sublime clear round with Istanbull V.H Ooievaarshof, but was 0.08 seconds over the time allowed.
In the second round, the three leading nations pulled further away from the rest. All three would finish on the podium. Yet even with a four-fault margin in hand for the Saudis, it was clear that everything could still change as the last-line riders came forward.
Further down the standings, France slipped irreparably to the bottom, while Spain’s Teresa Blázquez-Abascal delivered one of only five double clears of the day with Nasa de Toxandria. A brilliant performance!
The decider
Italy’s hopes faded with four faults from Roberto Turchetto, while Joe Whitaker gave the Saudis some breathing space. That left Abdullah Alsharbatly to go in with two fences in hand over the Italians. But the rider of Boeckmanns Lord Pezi Junior didn’t even need that safety net, producing an impeccable clear to seal his team’s second consecutive Nations Cup victory.
Ringmaster Pedro Cebulka leads the way, resplendent as always! (MRT/Morgan Froment)
It was also a second consecutive success for German coach David Will, who has himself tasted victory in the saddle at the Morocco Royal Tour: “For our team, this victory had a special significance. The Tour marks the true launch of our World Cup season, but also of our Nations Cup campaign. With no major championship this year, we wanted to approach this Nations Cup seriously, as a way of measuring our collective level ahead of the Middle East season – which promises to be very competitive. Looking further ahead, our sights are already set on two major milestones: the Asian Games and the World Championships in Aachen, which will be our main objectives next year. The team approached this Nations Cup with confidence: both riders and horses had shown strong form throughout the weekend, and the first round finished without a single fault. But other teams were close behind, which kept the pressure on until the end. Nothing was secured until the last Italian rider – the penultimate competitor before us – had jumped. So the win only came at the very last moment, which made this Nations Cup scenario all the more thrilling.”
The ever-talkative Abdulrahman Alrajhi, already the winner of Friday’s Grand Prix (following Ramzy Al Duhami in 2024 – each with their own Rabat double), was thrilled to have joined this winning squad. “Last year the team had already won this Nations Cup, and this year I had the chance to join them. It’s an incredible feeling, and I regret not being here last year – it just wasn’t my time yet. To compete alongside riders of this calibre, under the guidance of David Will – who is really the driving force behind all the work being done – makes me truly happy and proud.”
The final clear of the afternoon came from Abdullah Alsharbatly, who admitted the challenge was far from easy, while paying tribute to the course designer: “This year’s Nations Cup was particularly demanding, just like last year – very technical. The low number of clears shows that the level of difficulty was high. The course had many palankas, which are always tricky. But I really appreciated the quality of the track. It was designed by Uliano Vezzani, whom I consider the best course designer in the world. His work stands out for its intelligence: he creates selective and challenging courses, but never puts horses at risk. Where some designers, however talented, make things so complex that they force horses into extreme efforts, Uliano always finds the right balance. That’s what makes him, in my eyes, the very best in his discipline.”
The Saudis love the Morocco Royal Tour – and they say so openly. Khaled Almobty, competing here for the third time, noted the positive evolution of the Tour with each edition: “That alone is already remarkable,” he said. Deeply attached to the event, he wasn’t going to miss this opportunity: “Everything is perfect here: the atmosphere, the warm welcome, the kindness of the people, and the technical environment. Yes, we feel at home here – so next year, we’ll come ‘back home’ with the same ambitions.”
The date is set. And the Europeans will no doubt need to reinforce their squads if they want to challenge the Saudis!
Tomorrow the Tour heads south to El Jadida for the third and final stage of this wonderful series – truly sun-filled in every sense.
Results here.
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