National rider Pg Mohd Nasir Pg
Anak Ja'afar rides his horse
Rudolf Z during the qualifiers for the
Individual Jumping event at the
Guangzhou Equestrian Venue in
Guangzhou, China, yesterday.
Picture: Infofoto

National rider Pg Mohd Nasir and horse Rudolf in final of Individual Jumping event

Pg Mohd Nasir Pg Anak Ja'afar yesterday achieved his goal at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China, after his trusty steed Rudolf Z carried them both into the final of the equestrian Individual Jumping event at the Guangzhou Equestrian Venue and they are now looking for a bonus.

The duo incurred six penalty points in the first qualifier in the morning and were given another six penalty points in the second qualifier in the afternoon to finish in joint-20th with two other riders to qualify for the final tomorrow.

In doing this, both rider and horse have proven that Hj Muhd Zamri DP Hj Hamdani is right to keep his faith in them.

The Brunei chef de mission on Monday told The Brunei Times that Pg Mohd Nasir and his horse should make it to the final of the event.

The national rider couldn't have asked for a better outing yesterday giving all the credit to his 11-year-old Zangersheide gelding.

"Everything went very well and Rudolf was giving it his best. I made a few mistakes but Rudolf was really jumping well and I can't ask for more from him," said Pg Mohd Nasir, in a phone interview with The Brunei Times, yesterday.

"I'm really satisfied with how things went in the qualifiers. My goal was to make it to the final and anything more than that would be a bonus," added the 21-year-old Bruneian.

"We will use this opportunity (in the final) and give it our all. We'll go in and do our best to see where we'll end up at the end of the day," continued Pg Mohd Nasir, who won the 2009 Merdeka Team Cup in Kuala Lumpur in August last year.

Asked about the competition from the other contestants in the final, Pg Mohd Nasir replied:

"It is very tough especially with the riders from the Arab countries. They have very well-groomed horses but I believe that I myself have got a good horse as well."

Rudolf Z will undergo the "2nd Horse Inspection" today and Pg Mohd Nasir will only take his horse for light training to prepare for the final round.

"Rudolf has worked a lot today (Monday) so I would not want to tire him out and we'll just have a light workout tomorrow. We'll have to ensure that his muscles remain flexible and not be too stiff," said Pg Mohd Nasir.

The event started out with 39 competitors from a total of 14 countries, but the field has now been trimmed down to 33 after the two qualifiers yesterday.

Seven of the competitors now share top spot with the Saudi Arabian duo of Khaled Abdulaziz Al Eid and Ramzy Hamad Al Duhami, Ahmad Saber Hamcho of Syria, Qatar's Ali Al Thani, Cheng Man Kit of Hong Kong, South Korea's Sohn Bong Gak and Latifa SH Almaktom of the United Arab Emirates all going flawless in both qualifiers.

The final will consist of two rounds with the first starting at 9am followed by another session at 2pm.

Courtesy from Brunei Times