Riders set for thrilling weekend at Longines Hathab grand finale

The in-form Big Tour points-leader Hamad Nasser Al Qadi will be up against his close rivals Faleh Suwead Al Ajami and  Khalid Mohamed Al Emadi as riders head to the final leg of the Longines Hathab Equestrian Series.
The 12th leg of the popular series, which is on it's third season, will take place at the Qatar Equestrian Federation's Indoor Arena from today.
Hamad leads the Big Tour with 180 points and will go into the final round as a favourite. 
However, with 30 points up for grabs, the contest is still open for the rest of the pack with just seven points separating the top four showjumpers.
Al Qadi, who has been in brilliant form in the recent rounds, winning three times and finished runner-up once in his last four outings, is just three points ahead of Al Ajami (177). 
The 2019 Amir’s Sword winner is two points above Khalid (175) in the points table. 
Salman Mohamed Al Emadi (173) is fourth, and both Khalid and Salman can make a difference at the top if they clinch a win this weekend.
The organisers of the Series, Qatar Equestrian Federation and Al Shaqab – have done an excellent job in conducting 10th and 11th legs of the series in a safe environment while following the guidelines sanctioned by the Ministry of Public Health.
As the three-day affair begins today, overall titles of Medium and Small Tour categories are also up for grabs.
In the Medium Tour, leader Mohamed Khalifa Al Baker has a tough fight on his hands as he will try to stave off a late challenge for the title from Mohamed Saeed Haidan. 
Al Baker enjoys a four-point cushion over Haidan going into the final round, but the latter has been in imperious from since the resumption of Hathab, having won the last two rounds. Ghanim Nasser Al Qadi is third in the standings but a 10-point deficit to Al Baker makes his job difficult.
In the Small Tour, Khalifa Abdulla Al Khaldi (188.5) has a seven-point lead. He is followed by Mohamed Nasser Al Qadi (181.5) and Mohamed Al Ghazali (178).
Today, the event begins with Small Tour class at 4pm, followed by Medium Tour at 6:45pm and Big Tour at 8:45pm.
Hathab Event Director Ali Al Rumaihi yesterday expressed his delight regarding the success of the previous two rounds and praised the level of the riders in the last two rounds despite them competing after a long break.
"Hathab has been a huge success despite the difficulties in organising the last three rounds. The organisers have achieved its goals set for the championship, the riders have performed exceptionally, which only shows their development in the last three years,” Al Rumaihi said.