Al Shira’aa riders dominate the podium at Al Ain Union Cup CSI2*

 It was a weekend to remember for the Al Shira’aa Show Jumping Team, who claimed all three podium places in the CSI2* Grand Prix at the Union Cup in Al Ain.

The €32,000 competition, held under lights at the Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club, saw a thrilling jump-off between some of the UAE’s top riders. Salim Ahmed Al Suwaidi and his mount Cjoxx Z produced a double clear in 38.50 seconds to secure victory, followed by Humaid Abdullah Khalifa Al Mheiri, in second with Foncetti vd Heffinck who stopped the clock on 40.03 seconds, and Abdullah Al Marri (177th in the Longines World Ranking) in third aboard James v.d. Oude Heihoef who finished on 4 faults in 39.93 seconds.

The result marks a clean sweep for Al Shira’aa and follows a successful start to the UAE international season at last weekend’s Virtus International Show Jumping Cup CSI2*, where Humaid Al Mheiri – currently ranked 312th in the Longines World Rankings – and Foncetti claimed the Grand Prix win, and teammate Salim Al Suwaidi took third with Cjoxx Z, having taken over the ride in August of this year.

Duncan Inglis, Assistant Trainer for Al Shira’aa, praised the consistency and progress of the Emirati riders, noting that after two podium results last week at the start of the international season in the UAE, he was “very proud of our Emirati riders for all being on the podium this week — it’s a real testament to the fantastic system implemented by Sheikha Fatima Bint Hazza Al Nahyan.”

Building on his third-place finish in last week’s Al Ain CSI2* Grand Prix, 37-year-old Olympian Salim Al Suwaidi delivered another standout performance to top the leaderboard with Cjoxx Z. He expressed his gratitude to Sheikha Fatima for the opportunity, saying it had been “a great start to the UAE season after being third in last week’s Grand Prix.” He added that “this is just the beginning in preparation for our goals in 2026,” and credited “the team behind Al Shira’aa — and my family — who play a huge role in every success.”

The strong results highlight the momentum behind Al Shira’aa’s talented group of riders as they build toward the numerous upcoming CSI4* and CSI5* competitions in early 2026, including the Al Shira’aa International Show from the 20th to 25th of January and the Longines League of Nations from the February 11-15.