A prince and princess competing in the show-jumping competition did better than they had expected yesterday.

Dubai Princess Latifah Al Maktoum finished the jumping test with 11 penalty points, of which three came from exceeding the 88-second time limit.

"I was expecting 12 penalty points," she said. "Now, I just have 11 penalty points. It is better than what I had expected.

"I don't put much pressure on myself. I am thinking this is just a normal competition with a bigger name."

She was also satisfied with the performance of her horse, Kalaska De Semilly.

"I am very happy that he was playing between the fences very confidently," she said.

Saudi Arabia Prince Abdullah Al Saud, with horse Obelix, finished the ride with 10 penalty points, of which two were from a time penalty.

His team's best rider is Ramzy Al Duhami, who finished the ride with just two time penalty points.

The Saudi Arabian team won a bronze medal at the 2000 Sydney Games.

"I think today is a good start," Al Duhami said.

Another teammate, Kamal Bahamdan, also said he was satisfied with their performance.

"It is quite OK," he said. "My horse is still very young. I think that, overall, it was not very bad; we still have the chance to go to the final."

Prince Abdullah Bin Fahad Al Saud, who is also vice president of the Saudi Arabia Equestrian Federation, said the team was determined to not go home empty-handed.

"The riders have done their job well," he said. "We are here to get a medal."

(HK Edition 08/16/2008 page1)