Progress in show jumping is rarely a straight line. Heights change, formats change and a clear round at 1.25 metres does not ask precisely the same question as a placing at 1.35 metres. The value is in reading the sequence without turning it into a prophecy.
That sequence is now visible in the official record of Shk. Rashid bin Ahmed Al Maktoum and STP Bona Fide DXB. Across late July and early August 2026, the combination moved through four documented CSI1* classes and ended the run with sixth place at 1.35 metres in Opglabbeek.
A young mare in the official record
Equipe lists STP Bona Fide DXB as a bay Zangersheide mare born in 2019, by Baloucash VD Hunters out of a Cartoon mare. The database snapshot consulted for this article names Jonckhoeve Stal as breeder and lists Shk. Rashid bin Ahmed Al Maktoum and Sentower Stables on the ownership line.
At seven years old in 2026, the mare belongs to an age group in which results are most responsibly read as evidence of the work already completed—not as a guarantee of what comes next. The FEI athlete profile includes her among Rashid’s listed horses, but future entries remain separate facts that must be confirmed event by event.
Four rounds, read in order
The first result in this sequence was a 1.30-metre class at the Summer Classic, where the pair finished 42nd with four faults. They then appeared twice at 1.25 metres: 13th after two clear phases, followed by seventh with another clear round.
On 1 August, the FEI record places the pair sixth in a CSI1* 1.35-metre class in Opglabbeek. A higher fence height alone never tells the whole story—the course, table, field and time allowed all matter—but the result adds a useful point to the progression: the combination was competitive when the recorded height increased.
Why a sequence matters more than one placing
A single result can be distorted by context. Four results do not remove that context, yet they allow a more disciplined reading. Here, the pattern contains a four-fault round, two clear performances at 1.25 metres and a top-six finish at 1.35 metres. It shows adaptation across different questions without pretending that development is complete.
This is also why words such as “breakthrough” or “future star” would be premature. The record supports a measured conclusion: the pair produced a compact sequence of increasingly informative results. The next useful chapter should be written only when an official entry or result exists.
The rider behind the record
The FEI lists Shk. Rashid as an active jumping athlete representing the United Arab Emirates. His public record spans hundreds of international starts, which gives the young mare an experienced rider while leaving the specific details of training and strategy private.
Rashid is a current Vainqueur Cheval sponsored athlete. That relationship is disclosed because it is relevant to why the Journal follows his season; it does not alter the result data, which was checked against official and event-authority records.
What comes next
At publication, the FEI profile did not display a next event for Rashid. That absence is not a withdrawal and it is not a pause—it simply means there is no future start we can responsibly announce from the official record today.
For now, the story is complete at the right scale: four rounds, a seven-year-old mare and an observable step from clear 1.25-metre performances to a placing at 1.35 metres. In a sport built over time, that is enough to be worth watching.
Sporting and horse data checked on 3 September 2026: FEI athlete profile, Summer Classic results and Equipe horse record. Shk. Rashid bin Ahmed Al Maktoum is sponsored by Vainqueur Cheval.