(From left) Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club general manager Nasser Sherida al-Kaabi, Al Emadi Enterprises CEO Mohamed Abdulkarim al-Emadi, Qatar Committee of the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe president Hamad bin Abdulrahman al-Attiyah and Jassim al-Emadi. PICTURE: Juhaim
By Sports Reporter/Doha
Al Emadi Enterprises, the sponsors of the Qatar Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere, have seen amazing value in their association with the Group I race in France and the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club would be happy to see the involvement continue beyond the current contract which runs till 2017.
With a prize purse of 350,000 euros, Qatar Prix Jean Luc-Lagadere, which will be run at Longchamp on October 4, is one of the richest races for two-year-old thoroughbreds.
“The partnership dates back to 2012 and the intention remains to extend it beyond the current contract, which runs till 2017,” said QREC general manager Nasser Sherida al-Kaabi at a press conference in Doha yesterday.
Al Emadi Enterprises CEO Mohamed Abdulkarim al-Emadi said, “Qatar Prix Jean-Luc Lagadere is one of the prestigious races today and it is also a matter of prestige that a Qatari horse Olympic Glory won the race in 2012. Our association with the race has been fruitful. With the kind of results that Qatari horses are coming up with, as a company it is great for us. We are pleased to be part of the events organized by QREC.”
Also present at the press conference were Qatar Committee of the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe president Hamad bin Abdulrahman al-Attiyah and QREC’s head of Media Saad Mubarak al-Hajri.
Having been involved with the French race weekend since last year, al-Attiyah said, “The goal is to showcase Qatar internationally at a glorious and prestigious event. The goal is also to show that Qatar can host, organise this type of festival. We have a good relationship with the French people, we have a contract till 2022, and we wish to continue furthermore.”
Talking about the value that Qatar adds, he said, “We are not only supporting the festival but also the horses, the breeders, the owners, the jockeys. We want to push up the level of the world of Equestrian all over the world.”
Asked if more Qatari companies have come forward in support of the weekend, al-Kaabi said, “This is a big festival and I read an article the other day that the weekend attracts as many as 1 billion in viewership from across the world and that will be of huge interest to a lot of companies. So yes, we are in negotiations with companies but we obviously cannot talk about them till it is official.”
He added: “I think Mr. Emadi has been contributing to sporting events all over Qatar and we understand that he has special interest in horses, and we wish the best of luck to him for his new project Al Hazm. We wish that we have this partnership with him for many years to come.”
