Rabat – Morocco’s national showjumping team finished second at the 2026 Nations Cup on Sunday during the Rabat leg of the Morocco Royal Tour at the Royal Complex for Equestrian Sports and Tbourida Dar Essalam.
France claimed the title after a jump-off that also involved Morocco, Germany, and Belgium. All four teams had finished the opening two rounds level on four penalty points.
The CSIO4*-W competition featured obstacles of 1.50 meters and formed part of the second stop of this year’s Morocco Royal Tour.
Morocco entered the event with Ali Al Ahrach, El Ghali Boukaa, Abdelkebir Ouaddar and Abdeslam Bennani Smires. The team recorded four penalty points in the first round before completing the second without penalties.
Ouaddar then represented Morocco in the jump-off aboard Festival d’Argouges. He completed a clear round in 33.78 seconds and briefly put the hosts in position to challenge for victory.
France ultimately edged Morocco through Jeanne Sadran and Dexter Kerglenn. Sadran also went clear and stopped the clock at 33.24 seconds, just over half a second faster than Ouaddar.
Germany completed the podium after Tom Schewe posted a clear jump-off round in 34.93 seconds.
Attention now turns to the third and final leg of the Morocco Royal Tour in El Jadida, scheduled for October 15-18 during the Salon du Cheval.
Morocco coach Philippe Rozier said Morocco will target victory in the Grand Prix through one of its four riders. He also noted the added challenge of moving from a four-star competition to a five-star event and from an outdoor arena to an indoor setting.
The coach commended the quality of the four horses used in the Nations Cup and stressed the importance of keeping them in strong physical condition for the next stage.
Al Ahrach also expressed satisfaction with the result despite Morocco entering the competition with victory in mind. He credited the collective effort behind the team’s second-place finish and said the riders will aim to improve further in future editions.
Ouaddar had already reached the podium earlier on Sunday. Riding Larsino, the Moroccan finished third in the SOREC Prize, a four-star 1.45-meter event, after a clear round in 46.89 seconds.
The Rabat competition brought the second leg of the 2026 Morocco Royal Tour to a close. The series began in Tetouan from October 1-4 and will conclude this week in El Jadida.
