QREC chairman HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Faleh al-Thani (second from right) shakes hands with Al Emadi Enterprises CEO Mohammed Abdulkarim al-Emadi at the W Doha Hotel. Also seen are QREC general manager Sami Jassim al-Boenain and Al Emadi Enterprises Creative Director and Head of Media Depratment Fadi Ramzi Abu Salah.

 

By Sports Reporter/Doha

Qatar Racing & Equestrian Club (QREC) and Al Emadi Enterprises have taken yet a further significant step in enhancing their ongoing partnership. The two leading organisations have signed a five-year agreement, marking Al Emadi Enterprises as the sponsor of five editions of Prix Jean-LucLagardere, commencing with this year’s edition, which will be run at Longchamp Racecourse in Paris on the same card of Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe on Sunday, 6 October 2013. The Group I racing event is reserved for two-year-old thoroughbreds.

A press conference marking the signing event was organised at the W Hotel Doha, HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Faleh al-Thani, QREC Chairman, and Mohammed Abdulkarim al-Emadi, CEO of Al Emadi Enterprises, signed the agreement. Sami Jassim al-Boenain, QREC General Manager, and FadiRamzi Abu Salah, Al Emadi Enterprises Creative Director and Head of Media Depratment, were also present the signing event and press conference.

During the press conference, HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Faleh al-Thani, QREC Chairman, commended the ever-renewed partnership between QREC and Al Emadi Enterprises. “We are very pleased to have Al Emadi Enterprises, the leading real estate developer, as the main sponsor of Prix Jean-LucLagardere race again and for more five editions to come. This is not the first time to associate this prestigious race with Al Emadi Enterprises as they were the sponsor of the very successful edition of the same event last year and they had supported many races in Doha as well. We are confident that this five-year sponsorship will take the event to wider horizons one year after another. We do thank Al Emadi Enterprises and Mohammed al-Emadi for such valuable support over the years and maintaining this excellent partnership, demonstrating the commitment of QREC and Al Emadi Enterprises towards promoting the high standing of Qatar”, he said.

Mohammed al-Emadi, CEO of Al Emadi Enterprises, lauded the long-term partnership between QREC and Al Emadi Enterprises. “We are very pleased to stay part of sport events hosted by Qatar both at home and overseas. Our relations with QREC are just special and they demonstrate what the ideal successful association between the sports and the business sectors should be like. Backed by the unrivaled success of the 2012 edition of Prix Jean-LucLagardere, we did not hesitate to renew the partnership and we even extended it to five years, making Al Emadi Enterprises part of the global mega event until 2017. The efforts and facilities provided by QREC guaranteed the success of our sponsorship of Prix Jean-LucLagardere last year and we are sure it was only a beginning and there will be more to come and dazzle in the coming five editions. We thank HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Faleh al-Thani, QREC Chairman, and Sami Jassim al-Boenain, QREC General Manager, for making such sponsorship and success a reality”, he said.

Sponsored by Al Emadi Enterprises the 2013 edition of Prix Jean-LucLagardere is expected to be an event to remember with 68 entries made so far. The Euros 350,000 race run over 1,400 metres will see high-class fillies and colts and many of them belong to Qatari owners. Initial entries have been made for brilliant thoroughbreds owned by HH Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa al-Thani, HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa alThani and HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad al-Thani. Some of these runners are already winners and will appear in Prix Jean-LucLagardere to present their credentials as the new generation of champions and others have shown promising talents that will evolve more as the years go by.

HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad al-Thani’s Olympic Glory captured the title of the 2012 edition of Prix Jean-LucLagardere, which was also sponsored by Al Emadi Enterprises. It was a big day for Qatar and QREC and Al Emadi Enterprises have hopes this year will be no exception.