HE Sheikh Joaan Bin Hamad Al-Thani Rifle Day on Saturday

Under the patronage of the President of the Qatar Olympic Committee HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad al-Thani, the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club (QREC) will organise His Excellency’s Rifle Race Meeting on Saturday.The event will take place on the turf track at Al Rayyan Racecourse with action featuring 10 races commencing at 11:00am.The highlight of the day will be the 10th race, the HE Sheikh Joaan Bin Hamad Al-Thani Rifle contest. The winning horse of this race will earn a coveted spot in the Shalfa race scheduled during the prestigious HH The Amir Sword Festival, which will be held at Al Rayyan Racecourse in February.In addition to the 10 races, the event will feature the final qualifiers to determine the champions of the traditional Al Sabiq races. Held during major events at QREC, this heritage racing event attracts a wide participation of outstanding Qatari riders.The HE Sheikh Joaan Bin Hamad Al-Thani Rifle, a 2,200m Class 1 contest for Thoroughbreds, will see some powerful and highly-rated horses compete for the title. Among the prominent entries is Simca Mille (Tamayuz x Swertia), owned by Wathnan Racing, who will be saddled by Alban de Mieulle, to defend his title from last year, and partnered by Maxime Guyon. Challenging him is Haunted Dream (Oasis Dream x Red Halo), representing Wathnan Racing as well, but for trainer Hamad al-Jehani with James Doyle in the saddle. Also in the race is Aafoor (Qurbaan x Filfila), carrying the colours of Al Jeryan Stud, trained by M H K al-Attiyah and will be ridden by Szczepan Mazur.The meeting features several other races with prestigious trophies and cups. These include the Rifle race (the feature event), as well as the HE Sheikh Joaan Bin Hamad Al-Thani Trophy, a Gr 3 PA for Purebred Arabians over 2,200m in the penultimate race.The HE Sheikh Joaan Bin Hamad Al-Thani Trophy for four-year-old Purebred Arabians will be run over 1,750m in Race 8 and, like Races 9 and 10, will carry a purse of $100,000.Purebred Arabians will also take on each other in an open 1,750m race for another HE Sheikh Joaan Bin Hamad Al-Thani Trophy and a purse of $50,000.In Race 6, the HE Sheikh Joaan Bin Hamad Al-Thani Trophy, a 1,400m open race for Thoroughbreds, another $50,000 will be up for grabs. Race 5, the HE Sheikh Joaan Bin Hamad Al-Thani Trophy, will feature Local Thoroughbreds racing over 1,750m with a prize of $55,000.In Race 4, three-year-old Thoroughbreds will vie for over 1,500m for the HE Sheikh Joaan Bin Hamad Al-Thani Trophy, which carried a purse of $50,000. Race 3 will see Thoroughbred sprinters compete in a 1,200m open contest for the HE Sheikh Joaan Bin Hamad Al-Thani Trophy, offering a purse of $50,000.The first two races in the card will carry a prize of $30,000 each. The opener will see promising maidens and debutants taking on each other to open their records in the 1,750m Local Purebred Arabian Premium Maiden Plate. The following race, the Local Purebred Arabian Novice Cup, will be run over 1,400m.