H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and UAE Minister of Finance, on Thursday officially inaugurated the 15th Dubai International Arabian Horse Championship, the 14th Dubai International Horse Fair, and simultaneous events running at the Dubai World Trade Centre, DWTC, until 17th March. As two of the region’s most important Arabian equine platforms, the co-located events gathered a host of global and regional equine industry players across every professional and recreational segment, from stable and horse owners, breeders, professionals and veterinarians, to service and care providers, specialist product providers, leisure riders and everyday horse enthusiasts. The show started on Thursday 15th, 2018 at 11:00 Asia/Muscat (08:00 - Europe/Rome) and ended on Saturday 17th, 2018 at 21:00 Asia/Muscat (18:00 - Europe/Rome) with the Final Championship Classes. More than 300 horses were registered in the Stud Book from more than 20 countries. The finest Purebred Arabian horses participated in this unique worldwide competition and were contending for a whopper Prize Money of USD 4.000.000. The DIAHC hosted also halter and ridden classes and a showcase for the endurance/racehorses that are so central to Middle Eastern equine life. The Higher Organizing Committee was composed by: Mr. Ziad Abdullah Galadari, Chairman; Mr. Sultan Mohammed Khalifa, Board Member; Mr. Essam Abdalla al Hameeri, Board Member; Mr. Abdulrahman Obaid Belshawareb, Board Member; Mr. Mohammed Al Tawheedi, Board Member. General Secretary, Mr. Qusai Obaidalla. As many as ten judges were called to manage a competition that appeared compelling just by reading the program. The many prestigious names in the ring made us predict an uphill battle for top places, and that is exactly what happened. Therefore, it is only fair to praise the judges who carried out their task impeccably. They were, in order: Mr. Aeschbacher Urs (CHE); Mr. Brown William (ZAF); Mr. Dahmen Doug (USA); Mr. Gozdzialski Lucas (POL); Mr. Murillo Kammer (BRA); Mr. Pittaluga Marco (ITA); Mr. Reisel Gideon (NLD); Mr. Smith Graham (AUS); Mrs. Weidner Michaela (DEU) and Mrs. Zeevenhoven Karin (NLD). The work done by the Disciplinary Commission was outstanding. Its members were: Mr. Kais Ben Hadi Quelhazi (UAE); Dr. Umer Raza Gill (UAE); Dr. Sujeet Bhaskar Suryawansh (UAE) and Mrs. Christine Keyser (Norway). Impeccable in their elegant suits and ability to make handlers adhere to the two minutes allocated through a high-precision chronometer were the Ring Masters appointed for this 15th edition, Mr. Jean-Bernard Kupaj (France) and Dr. Abdel Wahab Ben Ali Amira (UAE). They timed the competition correctly despite the large number of individuals in almost every category. The appointed speakers were: Ms. Amna Suroor and Mr. Abdulla Rashid both from the United Arab Emirates, while the official photographers were: Mr. Morhaff Assaf (UAE) and Mr. Wieslaw Pawlowski (POL). The Final Championships took place on Saturday at 3:00 pm. A hot sun and excellent summer daytime and evening temperatures accompanied the show. For the spectators sitting around the VIP tables, the catering was excellent and above expectations with a lot of cold drinks to bear the heat. It was nice to see an active involvement of the public and the owners in the competition, which on Saturday made the atmosphere truly mesmerizing. From the Royal gallery and the guest stands, the view of the horses was amazing. The final results are given below. THE FINAL CHAMPIONSHIPS With a total score of 34.00 points, the title of Gold Champion Yearling Filly was earned by the chestnut AJ BANAFSAJ (AJ MARZAN x PRINCESS OF MARWAN) bred and owned by Ajman Stud. Silver medal winner, with a total score of 20.00 points, the grey LR ERA DE EXCALIBUR (EXCALIBUR EA x EXPECTED BEAUTY) bred by Las Rosas Estancia and owned by Khalid Saeed Abdullah Alsayed. Bronze medal winner, with a total score of 16.00 points, the grey D SHIHANAH (FA EL RASHEEM x D SHAHLA) bred and owned by Dubai Arabian Horse Stud. In the Yearling Colts category, Gold Champion winner, with a total score of 36.00 points, the bay ADMIRAL (EMERALD J x HANIYYAH) bred by Mr. M Al Subaie c/o Ryan Jones and owned by Sons of Abdulla Bin Mohammed Al Subaiee. Silver medal winner, with a total score of 21.00 points, the bay D MAHBOOB (D MSHARY x JULIANNA Z) bred and owned by Dubai Arabian Horse Stud. Bronze medal winner, with a total score of 7 points, the grey D BAREQ (FA EL RASHEEM x ROYAL EMIRA) bred and owned by Dubai Arabian Horse Stud. With a total score of 93.00 points, the Gold medal in the Junior Fillies category was taken by the grey D AJAYEB (RFI FARID x LADI VERONIKA) bred and owned by Dubai Arabian Horse Stud. Silver medal winner, with a total score of 92.40 points, the bay AJ SARAY (MARWAN AL SHAQAB x SIBERIA SA) bred and owned by Ajman Stud. Bronze medal winner, with a total score of 91.50, the grey KAMOUNEH AL ZOBAIR (RFI FARID x NESJ EL KHIDOUNA) bred and owned by Sheikh Abdulla Bin Mohamed Ali Al Thani. With a total score of 93.20 points, the Gold medal in the Junior Colts category was earned by the grey AJ KAFU (SHANGHAI EA x AJ KAHAYLA) bred and owned by Ajman Stud. Silver medal winner, with a total score of 91.20 points, the grey KA NABRAS (SHANGAI EA x AJ NAZWA) bred and owned by Khaled Ghanem Mubarak Alomairi. Bronze medal winner, with a total score of 90.70 points, the grey AL ARYAM BARAKAT (SHANGHAI EA x AL ARYAM BALLORA) bred and owned by Al Aryam Arabians. AL ARYAM BARAKAT got also higher score in movement. With a total score of 40.00 points, Gold Champion Senior Mare the ethereal grey EMANDORIA (GAZAL AL SHAQAB x EMANDA) bred by Michalow Stud and owned by Al Baydaa Stud and Al Mai Stud. Silver medal winner, with a total score of 14.00 points, the bay GHAZALAT AL KHALEDIAH (PA GAZSI x ARGENTINNA SS) bred by Pannonia and Davina Arabians and owned by HRH Prince Khaled Bin Sultan Al Saud. Bronze medal winner, with a total score of 8.00 points, GALERIDA (SHANGHAI EA X GALILEA) bred by Stadnina Koni Michalow and owned by Al Baydaa Stud. In the Senior Stallions category, with a total score of 40.00 points, Gold medal winner the unbeatable ES HARIR (AJ DINAR x TF MAGNUMS MAGIC) bred by Shaikh Abdulla Bin Majid Al Qasimi and owned by Al Saqran Stud. Silver medal winner, with a total score of 15 points, the bay EQUATOR (QR MARC x EKLIPTYKA) bred and owned by Stadnina Koni Michalow. Bronze medal winner, with a total score of 10 points, the chestnut EDEN C (ENZO x SILKEN SABLE) bred by Rhonda L and Rhoda Coleal and owned by Al Sayed Stud. CONCLUSION The 15th Dubai International Arabian Horse Championship was very much one of high quality with some amazing horses being presented for judging. The prize money on offer and the prestige of the show places added stress on everyone. We thank the Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and Sheikh Hamdan, for their on-going support and patronage of the Dubai International Arabian Horse Championship & Fair. Thanks to them, the Middle East is globally recognized as an equestrian hub and world-class events hosted in the UAE continue to showcase the legendary grace, beauty, speed and power of Arabian horses in an accessible, family-orientated environment. We really do want to thank and acknowledge the handlers who in the vast majority of cases were polite and professional in their approach to showing. The Organization and hospitality during the show was also very much appreciated by us on the AHM Team and by judges and show officials alike. A special and sincere thanks to Christiane Chazel and Dominik Briot in this regard. Heartfelt thank you also to the official show photographers Mr. Morhaf Assaf and Wr. Pawloski, and to Mrs. Francesca Aragno from Arabian Insider who took the pictures for us. Everyone had fun and we think we all loved the experience of sharing this time together and most importantly the thrill of celebrating world class horses. The appointment is renewed for next year 2019 with other super star champions!