Text © World of Showjumping

The 2025-edition of CHI Al Shaqab presented by Longines in Doha, Qatar, kicked off on Thursday with a French win the CSI5* 1.50m Grand Prix qualifier.

France’s former world number one Simon Delestre and the 12-year-old gelding Dexter Fontenis Z (Diarado x Voltaire Pref) bested a field of 55 horse-and-rider combinations, taking the win with a time of 56.01. Abdel Said (BEL) and Arpege du Ru (Apache d’Adriers x Quat’Sous) followed in second in 57.61, while Julien Anquetin (FRA) and Farah Tame (Quadrio Tame x Panama Tame) completed the podium in third in 57.62.

Emanuele Gaudiano (ITA) and Nikolaj de Music (Kannan x Nabab de Reve) finished fourth in 57.74 ahead of Jeanne Sadran (FRA) and Dexter de Kerglenn (Mylord Carthago x Diamant de Semilly) in fifth in 59.75.

The second CSI5* class of the day, a 1.45m ranking class, went to Great Britain’s Ellen Whitaker and the 9-year-old Quainton X-Rated (Big Star x Namelus R). Stopping the clock on 61.41, the British duo took the top honours ahead of Olivier Perreau (FRA) and Frisky de La Fontaine (Diamant de Semilly x Darco) in second in 62.88 and Roberto Previtali (ITA) aboard Hachiko (Quick Star x Toulon) in third in 63.12.