There were few clear rounds in the first round—as a matter of fact, only one (Gaudiano and Nikolaj), in contrast to yesterday's Grand Prix, but that didn't matter tonight, as the rules of the game for this winning tour meant that all the counters were reset to zero for the 12 qualifiers for the second round (the winning round, in other words). The top three finishers benefited of that system , all of whom came out with one bar and even two for winner Khaled Almobty, the last qualifier with 8 points, who thus left this decisive round in first place.

Then, it was time to throw down the gauntlet. Emanuele Gaudiano had the speed, but it was at the cost of a rub and a subsequent four faults from Nicolaj de Music in the double. The one who came closest to the Saudi rider was France's Ines Jolly, who had an incredible Morocco Royal Tour, whether with Ambassador Z (2nd in yesterday's Grand Prix) or with Pegasus Bandit Savoie, the winner of the Grand Prix in Tetouan, but who, like yesterday, lost by a hair, eight hundredths, to a rider from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Yesterday, she conceded 22-hundredths to Ramzy Al Duhami.

That said, those eight-hundredths were good enough for Khaled Almobty, the third Saudi rider to win the 4* main event: “It's a Grand Prix-level event, so it's a very important win with Davenport VDL, who was making his competitive debut. With my two rails, I never thought I'd qualify for the second round. By starting first in this decisive round, I had nothing to lose, so I gave it my all and it worked”.  

Obviously, with this hat-trick in three days, the Saudi Arabian team are the favorites leading into the Nations’ Cup, but Khaled is wary of... “Spain and Morocco”. We'll see tomorrow if tonight's winner is as good a prognosticator as he is a horseman!

Grand Prix 1* du Ministère de l'Intérieur (Table A with jump-off)
Alix Ragot: a winning return to the MRT!

Alix Ragot is back in Morocco after 8 years and wins the Grand Prix 1* with Serafina Dbh Z © R&B Presse / Morgan Froment

Already a winner in Tetouan (1.35 m), France's Alix Ragot took the difficult Grand Prix 1* in Rabat (a solid 1.40m) earlier in the day after a seven-combination jump-off that lived up to the well-known biblical expression: the last shall be first!

Indeed, with his 7-year-old Z mare, Serafina DBH Z, the rider from Le Perche, who is an admirer of Steve Guerdat (“he's my role model, I love his way of doing things”), was the last to start in the jump-off. The Moroccan public had just begun to rejoice at the potential victory of one of their own, Yahia Said, who held pole position with Eliza B in 39.65 seconds, but as they say, starting last is usually an advantage For Alix Ragot, it certainly was.

“Serafina is naturally fast, but on this course, that came in handy: I had my bearings and knew exactly which route to take to be faster. The mare was magnificent, she responded today, whereas in Tetouan, I was a little unlucky (4 faults in the Grand Prix),” said Ragot.

Ultimately, it was 65 hundredths better than the talented Moroccan U21 Champion, Yahia Said: the deal was sealed. Alix Ragot isn’t exactly new to the MRT: “It's been eight years since I've been back here... I'm lucky enough to have some very good horses again, including Sole Mio, who I'll be riding tomorrow in the Nations Cup. I'd like to thank my owners for placing their trust in me. The owner of Serafina DBH Z (and QH Sole Mio Santo Antonio) is Era Jump. Another Moroccan, Ghali Chaoui, completed the podium in 40.15 seconds.

RESULTS
Grand Prix de Rabat MINISTERE DE L’INTERIEUR
35 starters and 12 classified
 
1) Alix Ragot, FRA – Serafina Dbh Z 0-0/39.00, 2) Yahia Said, MAR – Eliza B 0-0/39.65, 3) Ghali Chaoui, MAR – Esperenzo 0-0/40.15, 4) Alessandra Bonifazi, ITA – Looping 0-4/43.47, 5) Youssef Essamlali, MAR – Jaboulet 0-4/47.49
 
Prix MAROC TELECOM
29 starters and 12 classified
 
1) Khaled Almobty, KSA – Davenport VDL 8-0/32.78, 2) Ines Joly, FRA – Pegasus Bandit Savoie 4-0/32.86, 3) Abdullah Alsharbatly, KSA – Böckmanns Lord Pezi Junior 4-0/33.77, 4) Armando Trapote, ESP – Karl P 8-0/35.25, 5) Francis Derwin, IRL – Destina du Mesnil Z 8-0/36.00

About the Morocco Royal Tour
Three exceptional sites, three four-day stages, all 4*, for the thirteenth edition of the Morocco Royal Tour, taking place between September 19, 2024, and October 6, 2024. Created in 2010 on the "High Instructions of His Majesty King Mohammed VI" and directed by Prince Moulay Abdallah Alaoui, President of the Fédération Royale Marocaine des Sports Équestres (Royal Moroccan Federation of Equestrian Sports), the MRT grows from year to year, confirming its place as a major competition on the world equestrian calendar, under the aegis of the Fédération Équestre Internationale (FEI).
 
▪ The circuit kicks off in Tetouan, from September 19 to 22, at the superb facilities of the Garde Royale. A magnificent venue with “permanent" facilities: majestic grandstands and superb stables decorated in traditional Moroccan style.
The Rabat show, from September 25 to 29, is held at the technically impeccable facilities of the Royal Moroccan Federation of Equestrian Sports, whose flagship event is the Moroccan Nations' Cup, scheduled for Sunday afternoon, but also featuring a prestigious 4* World Cup Grand Prix on Friday.
The final leg in El Jadida, from October 3 to 6, is an indoor event with a sports program like that of Tetouan. It also provides an opportunity to discover the Moroccan Horse Exhibition (Salon du Cheval d’El Jadida), undoubtedly the most important on the continent, and where the flagship class of the circuit, the Grand Prix de Sa Majesté le Roi Mohammed VI de Saut d'obstacles, is held.

    
Media Contact
Pascal Renauldon
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WhatsApp au Maroc +33 6 08 75 94 07

Adèle Renauldon
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WhatsApp au Maroc +33 6 50 05 69 34

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