The Racing Department of the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club (QREC) held a meeting with horse owners and trainers Sunday to discuss and announce the racing programme for the 2021-22 season. QREC was represented at the meeting by Racing Manager Abdulla Rashid al-Kubaisi, Racing and Technical Adviser to Chairman Sami Jassim al-Boenain and Handicapper Marcus Weedon.
The productive meeting covered several matters, including some of the suggestions provided by owners and trainers both before the programme was developed and after its initial draft. Other suggestions made will be considered in due course of time.
QREC issued two separate programmes — one for the Al Rayyan racecourse including 55 racedays and other for the Al Uqda racecourse including 15 race days — for a total of 70 race days. The new programme represents a quantum leap in the number of race days per season, and will feature 531 races, 83 races more than the last season.
Following the meeting, owners and trainers praised the development of the upcoming season’s programme, both in terms of quantity and quality. They expressed their aspirations for a successful season, which will serve as a basis for their accurate preparations for future seasons.
Al-Kubaisi lauded the cooperation of owners and trainers. “In line with the QREC’s strategy, the programme focuses on race variety and enhancing racing standards. In fact, we started to prepare the programme as soon as the last season ended. Our ideas have been based on the numbers and categories of horses as well as the requirements and suggestions of owners and trainers. We have also been keen to complete the programme as soon as possible in order to give them the opportunity to prepare for the next season. We look forward to a successful new season for all parties,” he said.
Al-Boenain was pleased with the discussions at the meeting. “We are pleased with this comprehensive development in the programme to meet and reflect the aspirations and requests of owners and trainers,” he said.
“Their suggestions were made in previous meetings and after the issuance of the first draft of the programme, and these were taken into account in the final version. The new programme takes into account the gradual progression of weekly race meetings to ensure horses reach their peak potentials in the major meetings, topped by His Highness The Amir Sword Festival. It further accommodates all horse categories as well as their various age groups and ratings and offers fair opportunities to all over a variety of distances ranging between 1,000 and 3,200 metres at Al Rayyan, and 1,200 and 2,300 metres at Al Uqda.”
The 2021-22 racing season will kick off on Wednesday, October 13, 2021, at Al Rayyan racecourse and conclude on Thursday, May 5, 2022, at the same venue.
Races at Al Uqda racecourse, on the other hand, will start on Saturday, November 13, 2021, and come to a close on Thursday, February 24, 2022.