Alsharbatly Wins €1.5M Amir's Sword, France Claims LLN Opener, Gochman's World Cup Moment

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ CSI5 H.H. The Amir's Sword Grand Prix, Doha 🇶🇦

Saudi Speed Demons Dominate €1.5 Million Grand Prix

The richest Grand Prix of the winter season produced an absolutely electric jump-off, and Saudi Arabia left zero doubt about who owns the Middle Eastern circuit right now. Abdullah Alsharbatly 🇸🇦 and Diriyah scorched through Uliano Vezzani's shortened track in a jaw-dropping 36.29 seconds to claim the €450,000 winner's cheque and the prestigious Amir's Sword.

The two-round-plus-jump-off format over Vezzani's demanding 1.60m course whittled 44 world-class starters down to just nine jump-off qualifiers. All three eventual podium finishers went triple clear across both rounds and the jump-off, meaning the entire competition came down to pure speed. And Alsharbatly had plenty of it. Riding the 13-year-old Selle Français mare (Baloubet du Rouet x Diamant de Semilly), he found every inside line, maintained relentless pace, and simply devoured the ground between fences.

His compatriot Khaled Almobty 🇸🇦 pushed him hard aboard Diana du Plevau Z (Dieu Merci Van T&L x Kashmir Van'T Schuttershof), crossing the timers in 37.45 seconds. That round would have beaten everyone else comfortably, but Alsharbatly was operating on another level entirely. Belgium's Pieter Devos 🇧🇪 completed the podium with Casual DV Z (Cornet Obolensky x Cicero Z Van Paemel) in a smooth 39.20 seconds, nearly three seconds off the winner.

"It feels amazing. I have finished second at H.H. The Amir's Sword a couple of times, and this time it happened. This is a big victory for all Arab countries," Alsharbatly said.

The Saudi 1-2 is no fluke. With massive investment in acquiring world-class horsepower and intensive European-based training programs, the Saudi contingent is producing results at the absolute highest level. This was a statement performance heading into the World Cup Final in Fort Worth.

Vezzani's course extracted a heavy toll on the field. The demanding spatial questions, combined with delicate airy verticals that blended optically with the arena surface, systematically caught out several championship-caliber combinations. The sheer number of high-profile retirements underscores how demanding Vezzani's track truly was. Current World No. 1 Scott Brash 🇬🇧 retired Hello Folie, while Emanuele Gaudiano 🇮🇹 pulled up Esteban de Hus, Edwina Tops-Alexander 🇦🇺 retired Iron Dames Cydello, and Kristen Vanderveen 🇺🇸 withdrew Bull Run's Jireh. When that many elite combinations are bailing, you know the course designer got it right.

Brash entered this week on the back of a record-breaking January in Doha, having captured four Grand Prix victories across three weeks of the Father Amir's Prix using three different horses.