By Chris Hoover/Doha
The 2011-12 season set a benchmark for racing in Qatar, but the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Federation (QREC) doesn’t plan to rest on its laurels, its general manager Sami al-Boenain has said.
ONE FOR THE FUTURE: Jockey Faleh Bughanaim made rapid progress last season
“We are very happy with the way the 2011-12 racing season went off in Qatar. The Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and the Qatar Arabian World Cup was a huge success last year and we hope to make it better this year,” al-Boenain told Gulf Times in an exclusive interview.
“The highlight of the event was the visit of HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani which gives us a lot of responsibility. It was a major boost for QREC and we thank HH the Emir and HH the Heir Apparent Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani for all the support they have been giving for the promotion of Pure Arabian horses.”
Another highlight of this season was the hosting of WAHO Conference, which was well received by all dignitaries from member countries and hailed as a huge success.
“The WAHO Conference was another huge success for us. This reflects the contribution made by the QREC staff in hosting such a huge event,” al-Boenain said.
QREC chief Sami al-Boenain
QREC’s efforts to promote races on sand track were also fruitful.
“This season we also introduced sand track racing. This came about after the successful trial races held during the concluding days of the previous season. We bought new machinery to keep the sand track racing fit and I am happy with the outcome. There is scope for further improvement and I am sure we will be able to provide a much better track for the forthcoming season.
“The introduction of sand track racing also helped in preserving the turf which needs a lot of maintenance. With the number of races ever on the increase this initiative has enabled us to give a good surface of racing right through the season. It also gives an opportunity for horses that like to race on sand track to show their true potential. The owners also get to judge their horses’ capability on the sand track and race them in UAE or Europe.
“The number of horses training in Qatar has increased substantially and that has put pressure on QREC to have more races. When we have more races that means we will have to use the race track more often.
“It is really great to see that the season went off on both tracks without a hitch. We never got to see any injuries to horses or jockeys.
“We had an international company that was maintaining the race track earlier but having taken over the upkeep of the race by ourselves, I should thank the maintenance staff for the wonderful job that they have done in the upkeep of both the race tracks.”
Al-Boenain said he had received good response from trainers and riders about sand track racing and also commended the team which kept the track in good condition.
“The trainers and jockeys have given us a positive feedback about the track which is quite encouraging. We will continue to work hard to make the surface as good as anywhere you get. It is quite a task to compete with the weather and environment to maintain the track here but our team has been upto the task on hand and delivered a wonderful race track.”
This season also saw the merging of International Festival with HH The Emir’s Sword. And QREC’s idea was a major hit.
“This season we introduced the International Festival which was merged with HH The Emir’s Sword. It was a sort of an adventure as we had to conduct the Arabian horse show, Fegentri and Apprentice jockeys races along with the international and HH The Emir’s Sword race. We took up the challenge and it turned out to be a huge success.
“With the final classic held in the first week of March, it has opened a window for our owners to take their best horses to participate in the Dubai racing carnival,” he explained.
When queried about QREC’s plans for a new race track, al-Boenain said: “We have plans to build a new race track as there is a need for it. With the number of horses increasing rapidly every year, it has become essential to provide our owners with the best facilities. We will have a training facility which will only cater to the training aspect. The horses will train here and come over to the race track for racing and get back to the facility which can accommodate over 2,000 horses. This is all a part of the Qatar 2030 vision of the government.
“We had 153 owners and 90 jockeys taking part in the races this season. This is huge compared to the statistics earlier. Forty of these jockeys and 90 owners were winners of feature events this season. This points to the fact that our racing season was successful on many counts. It has become more challenging and provides more opportunities for owners and trainers to display their horses’ potential.”
Qatari jockey Faleh Bughanaim came in for high praise from al-Boenain after a great season.
“It was tremendous news for Qatar when our local rider went on to win a race in the United States of America recently. I would like to thank HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad al-Thani for providing the opportunity to Faleh to ride his horses there. This should motivate the other Qatari jockeys to show more interest in their riding and pursue this trade as a career. Faleh rode a brilliant race in Baltimore the other day and I feel he has a bright future.
“QREC had taken the initiative to support local riding talent by hosting a race particularly for them on each race day. This has brought two local riders Yousef al-Hajri and Naif al-Hajri to the forefront who did well to win many races this season competing against some top class European jockeys.
He said that QREC was hoping to see a Qatari champion rider in the near future.
“QREC cannot make champion jockeys but can only support the local riders to become one. I would like these jockeys to show more commitment to the sport. They will get all the support they need but it is up to them to work hard and put in their best effort to become champions.
“We have an example with Ahmed Ajtebi from UAE who has gone on to become a top class jockey. We are proud to see a GCC jockey do well in the international races and I am confident that soon we will see Qatari jockeys also doing well in that level.”
On the 2012-13 season, al-Boenain said QREC was planning to have 60 race meetings.
“We are likely to hold 60 race meetings next season. There is a need to do so as there are many more horses which will come here for racing. Three years ago we had 280 horses in training. Last year we had around 340 horses and this season we had 430 horses in training. I am sure there will be huge increase in the number of horses as there are new owners taking up to the sport in a big way. There was a time when we had only 23 owners taking part here but it has jumped to 153.”