Equestrian: Saudi boost for Irish show jumping
The royal visitors are expected to compete at shows countrywide, the view being that the Irish show jumping circuit is ideal to broaden the scope for Lennon’s enthusiastic, talented but relatively inexperienced students.
As details of Lennon’s input were outlined yesterday at Dubai international show, it also emerged that the Irish sport horse industry was set for a boost as the Banbridge rider went about sourcing rides for his new patrons.
The world champion, who ends his two-week show jumping tour of the Gulf tomorrow, will travel to Saudi capital Riyadh early next month to assess the royal family’s equine facilities. The Saudis are anxious to get things moving quickly and Lennon will be expected to identify what is required.
He will then embark on a two-pronged programme involving a training scheme and the sourcing of suitable horses for Saudi royal riders deemed to have the right attributes. Lennon will act in a consultancy basis only and trainers will carry out the bulk of the work under his instruction.
“This should bring a lot of business to Ireland,” said Lennon. “There is a very unexploited market for show jumpers in the Gulf, where it is a fast-growing and popular sport. I hope to be able to find horses at home to suit the riders with the potential.”
Lennon was speaking yesterday after he had placed third with Impact in a highly competitive Masters’ class won by Abdullah Humaid (Quatro) of the United Arab Emirates.
A competition that highlighted the potential in the region, it saw Olympic bronze medallist, Khalid Al Eid of Saudi Arabia, place second with Naeem.
The man who helped broker the deal to travel to Ireland, Samir Mirdad, said: “We are considering a maximum of two horses per person and want the process to proceed quickly. We will be looking closely at Ireland for horses, but a good horse is a good horse, so we will also look abroad.”
“We will have an individual programme for each rider and in May/June they will travel to Ireland and Europe for three months to broaden their experience,” said Mr Mirdad, a friend of Lennon’s and a close associate of the royal family.
This latest deal with the royal family follows the initial sponsorship package with a Saudi prince, KLM and Sun Microsystems, worth €1.7m.
It is thought the combined deal will be worth €4m to Lennon, who finished ninth yesterday morning in the speed stakes with I Caesar.
Crucially, his new backers say they are fully behind the Irish rider’s commitment to competing at the highest level and his other owners. They acknowledged it is essential that demands of his new role do not distract from his show jumping.
With doubts surrounding the future of Lennon’s world championship-winning ride Liscalgot, this new partnership with the Saudis could also see him secure a new horse to help him add an Olympic medal to his tally.
