Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club general manager Nasser bin Sherida al-Kaabi was elated with the Qatari victories at Saint-Cloud racecourse near Paris yesterday.
“First of all, I would like to thank His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa al-Thani and His Excellency Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad al-Thani, President of Qatar Olympic Committee, for their presence at the races,” he said.
“Their presence doubled the joy of victory and added to the momentum to this prestigious meeting, which is held as one of the associated events with the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.”
He added: “Qatar’s superiority in Arabian racing is the outcome of the commitment of the country’s officials. Qatar is a leader in Arabian racing and the domination of Qatar’s Arabians is a natural result. Marid and Al Haffanah proved that again today and we look forward to more victories in this edition of the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
“Tomorrow and on Sunday, the races will be run at the renovated ParisLongchamp after a gap of two years when they were held at Chantilly. I think this edition will have an unprecedented success, especially with the massively-anticipated and highly-coveted Group 1 Qatar Arabian World Cup and the Group 1 Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, which will see 19 of the top Thoroughbreds from across the world.”

Marid, Al Haffanah
confirmed Qatar’s
superiority: al-Attiyah
Al Shaqab executive director Khalifa bin Mohamed al-Attiyah expressed his happiness with the victories at Saint-Cloud yesterday.
“The presence of His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa al-Thani and His Excellency Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad al-Thani today demonstrates the considerable support we receive in the events where we compete overseas,” he said.
“The joy is doubled when victories come as well. Today, His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa al-Thani-owned Marid confirmed that he was the best when he won the Group 1 Qatar Arabian Trophy des Poulains and so did the Al Shaqab Racing-owned Al Haffanah in the Gr 1 Qatar Arabian Trophy des Pouliches.
“It also demonstrates Qatar’s excellence and domination over Arabian racing worldwide. Al Haffanah is a filly of Amer out of Al Nachmiya and the latter was the one who landed the first victory ever for His Excellency Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad al-Thani. We, therefore, are hopeful to continue the same tradition and excellence in the coming races.”