Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club (QREC) will organise HE Sheikh Joaan Bin Hamad Al Thani Rifle Day on January 17. The ten-race card will be run on the turf track at Al Rayyan Racecourse, with strong participation from owners, trainers and jockeys, all eager to secure top honours in what is regarded as one of the major fixtures of the current domestic racing season.
The meeting comes just weeks ahead of the highly anticipated HH The Amir Sword Festival, scheduled to take place from February 11 to 14. For the first time, the prestigious festival will be staged over four days, in a new initiative aimed at further developing the event and reinforcing its position on the international racing calendar in line with the highest global organisational standards.
Saturday’s programme comprises ten races over varying distances and categories. The opener is run for the Na’ama Trophy for local Purebred Arabian fillies and mares over 1750m, offering USD 100,000. The following contest is the Desert Rose Cup for local Thoroughbred fillies and mares over the same distance, also valued at USD 100,000.
The next event on the programme is the HE Sheikh Joaan Bin Hamad Al Thani Sprint Trophy for Thoroughbreds over 1200m, with USD 50,000 on offer. It is followed by another HE Sheikh Joaan Bin Hamad Al Thani Trophy, restricted to three-year-old Thoroughbreds over 1400m, carrying USD 50,000. The mid-card contest is the HE Sheikh Joaan Bin Hamad Al Thani Trophy for local Thoroughbreds over 1750m, worth USD 55,000. A later supporting race is the HE Sheikh Joaan Bin Hamad Al Thani Trophy for Thoroughbreds over 1400m, offering USD 50,000. Attention then turns to the HE Sheikh Joaan Bin Hamad Al Thani Trophy for Purebred Arabians over 1750m, with USD 50,000 available, followed by the HE Sheikh Joaan Bin Hamad Al Thani Trophy for Purebred Arabians restricted to four-year-olds over the same distance, valued at USD 100,000.
The penultimate race on the card is an international contest, the HE Sheikh Joaan Bin Hamad Al Thani Trophy for Purebred Arabians (Class 1 – Group 3 PA) over 2200m, with a purse of USD 100,000.
The finale, and main event of the meeting, is run for the HE Sheikh Joaan Bin Hamad Al Thani Rifle for Thoroughbreds (Class 1) over 2200m, carrying USD 100,000. Victory in this race secures qualification for the Shalfa race at the HH The Amir Sword Festival next month.
Aafoor last season’s Rifle winner
Last season’s renewal of this meeting was staged at Al Uqda Racecourse for the first time, rather than at Al Rayyan as is customary. The feature race, run for the HE Sheikh Joaan Bin Hamad Al Thani Rifle, was won by Aafoor, owned by Al Jeryan Stud, in the Class 1 contest for Thoroughbreds aged four years and above over 2200m. The winner was trained by M.H.K Al Attiyah and ridden by Szczepan Mazur.
Earlier in the programme, Abbes delivered another highlight when the Wathnan Racing runner claimed the HE Sheikh Joaan Bin Hamad Al Thani Trophy for Purebred Arabians, the four-year-old international contest over 2200m, extending his winning streak in the Group 3 PA race to a third consecutive success under James Doyle for trainer Alban de Mieulle.
