In one of the fastest and most thrilling final loop of 19 kms, Shaikh Hazza and his 11-year-old horse Hachim battled hard with France's Barbara Lissarague for supremacy till Shaikh Hazza wrested the initiative to finish nearly a minute ahead of his French rival.

General Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Minister of Defence and Shaikh Hazza Bin Zayed Al Nahyan finished third and fourth respectively.

All four riders, who thrilled the crowds here as they exchanged leads for most part of the final loop, shattered the previous world record of seven hours and 20 minutes into oblivion.

Yesterday's World Championship being held in the UAE for the second time entered the Guinness Book of Record as the biggest single equestrian event with 175 riders and horses from 41 countries assembling for a mass start in the morning.

His Highness Shaikh Maktoum Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, attended yesterday's championship in which seven UAE riders finished in the top 15 out of a total of 175 starters.

The win by Shaikh Hazza Bin Sultan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan gave UAE its second successive gold medal after Shaikh Ahmad Bin Mohammad Al Maktoum's triumph in 2002. They became only the second country other than the US to win the individual title more than once.

"My horse was in a very good condition. In fact I did not have to do much as he wanted to go and I just let him do that," said Shaikh Hazza, who dedicated his win to the President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, his father Shaikh Sultan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister, and the people of the UAE.