The excitement of a new domestic horse racing season returns to Qatar on October 14, 2026, as the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club (QREC) opens its 2026-27 campaign with the Al Ghariyah Cup at Al Rayyan Racecourse.
The opening meeting will feature eight races across different distances and categories, setting the stage for a packed season of competition at Al Rayyan and Al Uqda racecourses.
QREC has announced a 70-meeting programme featuring 518 races, including 13 dedicated to Purebred Arabian show horses. Al Rayyan will host 48 meetings, while Al Uqda will stage the remaining 22.
The season also promises significant prize money, with QR88.763mn allocated for the racing programme and an additional QR735,000 for the Arabian show horse competitions.
Among the major highlights will be the prestigious Group 1 HH The Amir Trophy for Thoroughbreds and the Group 1 PA HH The Amir Sword. Both feature prize purses of $2.5mn and will headline the final day of the HH The Amir Sword Festival on February 13, 2027.
Al Ghariyah Cup takes centre stage
The spotlight on opening day will fall on the eighth and final race, the Al Ghariyah Cup, a Class 2 contest for Thoroughbred fillies and mares aged three and above. Run over 1,200m on Al Rayyan’s dirt track, the race carries prize money of QR120,000 and will produce the first feature-race winner of the new campaign.
The event follows an exciting start to last season, when Nano Toro (Toronado x Nawarah) claimed the opening trophy of the 2025/26 campaign. Racing for owner Hassan Ali Abdulmalik, under trainer Debbie Mountain and jockey Mohammed Hassan Al Abdulmalik, the horse secured victory by half a length.
With a new season now upon them, owners, trainers and jockeys will be eager to make an early impression and begin their campaigns on a winning note.
Busy weeks ahead
The action will continue on October 15, with the Al Hamla Cup meeting on Al Rayyan’s turf track. Racing will initially take place on Wednesdays and Thursdays each week before the programme expands to three meetings weekly. The change comes on Saturday, November 14, when Al Uqda Racecourse opens its season with the Al Noof Cup Day.
The launch of the domestic season follows the conclusion of QREC's overseas sponsorship campaign, culminated by the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in Paris. The flagship event delivered further Qatari success on the track alongside organisational acclaim, reflecting the elevated the global standing achieved through QREC sponsorship over the years.
Ahead of the local curtain-raiser, Qatari racing secured further international validation following decisions ratified by the International Grading and Race Planning Advisory Committee (IRPAC) of the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) during its meeting in Paris last week.
Effective from this season's edition of the HH The Amir Sword Festival, the HH The Amir Trophy for Thoroughbreds has been promoted to Group 1 status - the highest level in global horseracing. Additionally, the Irish Thoroughbred Marketing Cup has been elevated to Group 3 while both the Dukhan Sprint Cup and the Al Rayyan Mile Cup have been granted Listed status.
The HH The Amir Sword Festival will be staged over four days for the second consecutive year, running from February 10 to 13, 2027.
Major meeting dates
The domestic 70-meeting campaign features a strong lineup of marquee fixtures, several of which attract international entries. Beyond the headline HH The Amir Sword Festival (10–13 February 2027), key dates on the calendar include the Guineas and Barzan Cup Day on October 29, 2026, followed by The Late Sheikh Jassim Bin Mohammed Bin Thani Trophy (National Day Meeting) on 12 December 2026, the Qatar Oaks Day on 17 December 2026, and the Qatar International Derby on December 19, 2026.
Action continues into the new year with the HH Sheikh Abdullah Bin Khalifa Al Thani Trophy Meeting on 2 January 2027 and the HE Sheikh Joaan Bin Hamad Al Thani Rifle Meeting on January 16, 2027. Late-season highlights feature the HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Thani Trophy Meeting on 16 March 2027 before concluding with the Qatar Gold Sword & Trophy Day on April 1, 2027.
