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Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club chairman HE Sheikh Mohamed bin Faleh al-Thani was thrilled with the huge participation of Qatari owned horses during the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe racing carnival at the Longchamp and Saint Cloud racecourse in Paris from October 3 to 5. |
“I am very happy to witness the increase in participation of the Qatari owned horses in the carnival. After the victory of HE Sheikh Joaan’s Treve’s in the Arc last year, it has given a push to many owners to acquire top quality horses. We have Qatari owned horses taking part in many races this year unlike before. This was our strategy and I am glad that it has been a success,” HE Sheikh Mohammed told the Gulf Times.
The QREC chairman said a lot of effort has been put in to ensure that the Euros six million Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and the Euros one million Qatar Arabian World Cup would be world class events that will be remembered for a very long time.
“This year is that much more special as we have three Qatari owned horses in the lineup for the most prestigious race in the world. HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad al-Thani’s Treve, Ectot and Ruler Of The World are top class Thoroughbreds, which are capable of matching strides with the best in the world. It would be great for Qatar if we have a grand double in the main events of the day,” HE Sheikh Mohammed added.
“I would like to extend my gratitude to HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani for his endless support to the equestrian sport in general and the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club in particular,” Sheikh Mohamed explained.
“We are also grateful to the Special Advisor to the Emir HH Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa al-Thani and HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa al-Thani for their support and guidance to organise such a huge event in Paris,” Sheikh Mohamed continued.
“The Arc now is the race of the world, which is the richest on turf with a prize money of Euros six million. All the top horses of the world would be part of the line-up. In the last fortnight, some of them have withdrawn knowing that the competition is going to be tough. It will the best against the best in the Arc. Even the Qatar Arabian World Cup will be an exciting affair. This race will see the best Pure Arabian’s in the world vying for supremacy.,” QREC general manager Sami Jassim al-Boenain said.
Talking about the vast development of racing in Qatar, Sami said. “It feels very good to see the vast development of racing in Qatar. The co-operation with France Galop has been excellent and we must thank them for that. We encouraged other owners in Qatar to participate in these races, which has given them the exposure in the international arena. This is precisely the reason why we see more and more owners keen to buy top class horses.”
When asked to pick the winners for the Arc and Qatar Arabian World Cup, Sami was quick to respond.”I feel Treve will do it again as she is a champion filly with a lot of class. Dahor De Brugere who has been unbeaten so far, should win the Qatar Arabian World Cup.”
Paris will see the kick off of the events today with the Arabian Horse Sale organised by Arqana at the Saint Cloud racecourse. The sale will showcase some of the best Arabian horses and pedigrees. A large number of Qatari horse owners, trainers and connections are expected to attend the sale which usually receives huge turnout of buyers from all over the world.
This is a good opportunity for the owners to buy good horses at a decent price. With the competition getting very fierce in Qatar, there will be a lot of horses bought by Qatari owners which eventually will make the forthcoming racing season exciting in Qatar.
Qatari trainers are looking for young horses as the number of races has been increased and the prize money has also been raised substantially.
This has kindled the interest among the local owners to pick some quality horses. There are some keen to keep their horses in France and race in the European circuit as well.
Apart from the races at Longchamp, the Qatar Total Arabian Trophy (three-year-old colts), Qatar Total Trophy (three-year-old fillies) will be held at the Saint Cloud racecourse tomorrow.
On Saturday, the racing events will be staged at Longchamp racecourse and will include Qatar Prix Chaudenay, Qatar Prix Daniel Wildenstein, Qatar Prix Dollar, Qatar Prix De Royallieu, Prix Qatar Racing & Equestrian Club, Qatar Total Arabian Trophy, a Group I race for Pure Arabians.
