On the winners' podium (l-r) Gregory Wathelet, Ludger Beerbaum and Nicola Philippaerts. Mohamed Tinakicht photo

On the winners’ podium (l-r) Gregory Wathelet, Ludger Beerbaum and Nicola Philippaerts. Mohamed Tinakicht photo

The culmination of the CSI3* competition at CHI Al Shaqab, in Doha, Qatar, featured a completely Qatari field in the 40,000€ grand prix, save for two Jordanian riders. From the 19 starters, just five went clear to force a jump-off. The first four all had rails, and in a thrilling finish it was the final rider, Hamad Nasser Al Qadi aboard Limoncello 6, who had a careful clear, incurring just one time fault for the win.

Al Qadi is a bit of a bionic man, having broken 12 bones and various body parts being held together by metal. It did not slow him down here, though, and he pocketed the winner’s share of 13,200 euro.

“He jumped really superb here,” he said of the 14-year-old gelding that is owned by the Qatar Armed Forces. Next week he will be travelling to Stal Tops in Holland to begin working with a recently-purchased horse, Deja Vu, with his sights set on the Olympics.

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