KUANTAN: Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin earned his spurs as a skilled horseman when he emerged individual champion in the 100km category of the Pahang-Penn Endurance Challenge 2008 national circuit at Cherating here yesterday.

Tuanku Mizan, who rode the horse Magna Thor, took eight hours, 17 minutes and 49 seconds to finish ahead of the other riders in the race.

Second place went to Asri Abd Aziz of the Royal Terengganu Endurance Stable (RTES), while Datuk Mohd Shuaib Ishak from Ar-Raudhah Equine came in third.

The king's RTES team also won in the team category in the 100km endurance event, while Magna Thor was named the best horse.

Shamsuddin Ab Roni came first in the 60km category, followed by Yusnar Yusup, from the Bukit Kiara Equestrian Club, and Mohd Azhar Ariffin in the second and third placings respectively.
In the 20km category, M. Syafiq Hakimi was first, followed by Datuk Mokhtar Haron and Rosli Endut.

The endurance race began on Saturday evening.

The prizes were given away by state executive councillor for youth and sports Datuk Wan Adnan Wan Mamat.

In his speech, Adnan said the Pahang-Penn Endurance Challenge would be held annually for the next five years.

He said the Youth and Sports Ministry had approved a budget of RM500,000 to organise the challange, in its bid to popularise equine sports in Malaysia.

Also present was National Sports Institute director Datuk Dr Roslan Aziz.

For the king, and many other participants, the Pahang-Penn Endurance Challenge has been a warm-up event to prepare for the World Endurance Competition in Terengganu this November.