Sameh steps up to win Salver
Monday 29 July 2024
.jpg "Sameh steps up to win Salver")
Britain’s Sameh El Dahan was relegated to second place earlier this week at the Agria Royal International Horse Show but today (27 July) he gained retribution when he triumphed in the Clipmyhorse.tv Salver aboard the experienced WKD Aimez Moi.
Germany’s Jörne Sprehe and the stallion Toys, who bested Sameh in Thursday’s Clipmyhorse.tv Trophy, were once again on form, sweeping into a 3 second lead from fourth-to-go of 15 forward for the jump-off.
But their advantage was short lived, as next to go Sameh and the 14-year-old chestnut mare found an extra 0.42 seconds to bump them from the top of the leaderboard. “I made sure to see Jörne’s round,” Sameh said. “We were a bit late in the warm-up, so I just watched her on the screen and she was quite fast. She beat me the first day so I think it was kind of revenge!”
Sameh has been based at Sycamore Stables near Belfast for 14 years and originally represented Egypt but switched nationalities in 2021. He has partnered the daughter of Je T’Aime Flamenco for the bulk of her career as she was bred at the yard by his mentor Joanne Sloan Allen.
“We know her inside out,” Sameh said. “She’s a class mare who has already won some grands prix and jumped Nations Cups, so she’s quite experienced.
“I knew that nothing today would faze her, I just have to do my best and she will do the rest. She’s always looking at the jumps and she’s quite careful,” he added. “She’s also quick across the ground, so I know that I don’t have to go crazy.”
It was Sameh’s second appearance at Hickstead, a venue he always tries to incorporate into his calendar if he can. “It’s a very high profile show, everybody wants to come to Hickstead. I was lucky enough to do it once before,” he said. “It’s my first win here and it’s quite big for me to win on a ground with so much history.
“I love these kinds of shows, with tradition and a lot of background behind them, you feel the crowd and you feel the emotions. This win was needed not just for me but for my whole team and I dedicated to everybody that put in a lot of work and effort behind the scenes.”
The Agria Royal International Horse Show runs from 24-28 July at Hickstead in West Sussex. Tickets are available at the gate or can be booked online at www.hickstead.co.uk. All the action from the International Arena will be livestreamed on ClipMyHorse.TV and Hickstead.TV.
Image: Boots and Hooves Photography
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