Five-star meant five-star in Greenwich as Grand Prix win produced career high

Saudi Arabia’s Abdulrahman Alrajhi made the best of his vantage point as last to go in the $200,000 1.60M CSI5* Grand Prix jump off at CSI Greenwich aboard his Olympic mount Ventago, coming home with the fastest time of 35.42 seconds to give the 29-year old the best win of his career.

Hats off to Abdulrahman Alrajhi and Ventago on their victory lap. Photo: Chelsea Lothrop Photography

“I was very lucky to be last to go,” said Adulrahman, after an exuberant victory lap that saw him throw his helmet into the crowd, before high fiving a string of enthused spectators.

“The crowd was amazing here,” he said after making the most of Ventago’s long stride to knock USA’s Lillie Keenan and Kick On, into runner up position on 35.88 leaving fellow American Kent Farrington and Myla in third place on 36.27.

Ventago pulled out all the stops for Abdulrahman to win in tough company. Photo: Chelsea Lothrop Photography.

“He is an unbelievable horse,” Adulrahman said of the 11-year old Hanoverian gelding owned by his sponsors, the Saudi Arabian Equestrian Federation. “He looks slow but he has an advantage that he has a very huge stride and obviously he is ultra careful and has the scope. Don’t get me wrong, he’s one of the best horses in the world for sure, but like, he’s slow, so to be competitive with him, he put in a lot of hard effort and he helps me to make it happen.”

Forty-five entries contested the Grand Prix to close out the fifth leg of the 10 competitions in Major League Show Jumping 2024.

Ireland’s Alan Wade designed the course that whittled down the field to a jump off of 10 rider-horse combinations. As Alan, who was taught the craft of course design by his father, pioneering showjumper and former chef d’equipe of the Irish national team, Tommy Wade, has said in the past “five-star means five-star” and the Grand Prix competition this afternoon reflected that.

It was a crowd-pleasing performance by the young Saudi Arabian rider. Photo: Chelsea Lothrop Photography.

“This is actually a good win for me,” Adulrahman said, acknowledging the contingent of leading riders, such as Kent, Lillie, Ireland’s Darragh Kenny and Jordan Coyle, Germany’s Richard Vogel and others that he had to contend with. “And obviously it’s a new experience for me to be here in the States. I think we had a very great show and a very great competition as well and I think the crowd was really amazing and I’m very happy to be here and I’m very happy to win the gold.”

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