QREC at best HH The Amir Sword Festival begins tomorrow

 QREC at best

HH The Amir Sword Festival begins tomorrow

Doha – 14 February 2024

The Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club (QREC) looks at best just before the HH The Amir Sword

Festival, which will start tomorrow, Thursday and continues until Saturday. The QREC management,

chaired by HE Issa bin Mohammed Al-Mohannadi, has completed all arrangements and ensured the

Al-Rayyan Racecourse is fully ready for the start of the races. Twenty-six races will be run throughout

the three days of the Festival, with eight races on day one, ten on day two and eight on the card of

the third and final day. involved runners, both international and Qatar-trained, have been there in

full swing at the training grounds as per the time schedules assigned to them respectively.

Twenty-four hours before the start of the Festival, the general appearance inside QREC looks at best

and enthralling. QREC management ensures everything is well-prepared before the start of the

prestigious event, which is the pinnacle of horse racing in Qatar and the region. In addition, the new

identity of the Festival will add extra momentum, which will have a positive impact on the general

image of the most prestigious equestrian festival. It comes as part of the continuous development of

Qatar’s premier racing event, especially with the rise in the prizes money to USD 10 million since last

season.

With the declarations announced on Monday, horse connections are adding the final touches to their

runners. Thrill will be at peak with international raiders travelling all the way from France, UK,

Ireland, Japan, Hong Kong, UAE and Oman to face the tough Qatar-trained challengers.

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HH The Amir Sword and Trophy draw today

The draw of the HH The Amir Sword and the HH The Amir Trophy races will be held this evening at

the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club (QREC) Clubhouse. All eyes will be drawn to the draw as these

are the feature races of the HH The Amir Sword Festival and each offers USD 2.5 million as prize

money, which makes the HH The Amir Sword the most valuable Group one race for purebred

Arabians in the world. Each of the two mega races will be run over 2400m and have a field of 11

runners.

HH The Amir Sword Race

All eyes will be on Al Shaqab Racing’s AL GHADEER, who bids to land the golden Sword and be

crowned with the Doha Triple Crown, having already won the first and the second stages of the

crown at Goodwood (Qatar International Stakes) and at ParisLongchamp (Qatar Arabian World Cup).

Wathan Racing’s ABBES, the title holder, will also take centre stage in the prestigious event as he

seeks to retain the Sword glory for the second straight year following his impressive victory in last

year’s renewal. BIN AL TAIR will be another representative of Wathan Racing as well. The other

challengers are HH Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa Al Thani's Al Doha, HE Sheikha Iman bint

Mohammed bin Khalifa Al-Thani's HAREEB, HE Sheikha Yasmeen bint Mohammed bin Khalifa

Al-Thani's DIVINE PRINCESS, HE Sheikha Reem bint Mohammed bin Khalifa Al-Thani's AA

FEEL THE BURN, Al Shaqab Racing's MEZOWN and AL TAMMTAM, Abdullah bin Fahad A H Al

Attiyah's CH'EZZA and Sultan Ali Al Senaidi's DJALNOR.

Day One – Thursday, 15 February: Sand Championships Day:

 The day features the races for the leading horses, based in Qatar, which

perform well on the sand track.

 There are four categories of horses: Thoroughbreds, Purebred Arabians, Local

Bred Thoroughbreds and Local Bred Arabians.

 There are two races for each category and one race for each category is for the best

horses while the other is for young horses or horses which have not won yet.

 Every race is worth $100,000 which is three times as much as any other race on the

sand.

Horse to watch on Day One

Nibras Racing Syndicate’s NUVOLARI won last year’s renewal of the Thoroughbred Sand

Championship. He won handsomely by five and a half lengths and has been specially

prepared for this race this year.

Day Two – Friday, 16 February: Al Rayyan Breeders Cup Day

• These are races for the leading horses, based in Qatar, which prefer the grass track.

• There are 10 races including races for the best female horses in each category

(Thoroughbreds, Purebred Arabians, Local Bred Thoroughbreds and Local Bred

Arabians)

• The highlight of the day is the Al Rayyan Breeders Cup, worth $400,000, for Local

Bred Thoroughbreds

• The other major event is the Al Zubarah Trophy, worth $200,000, for Local Bred

Purebred Arabians

Horse to watch on Day Two

- Wathnan Racing’s EQUINOXE in the Al Rayyan Breeders Cup for Local Bred

Thoroughbreds: He was the champion local bred thoroughbreds and won this race

last season.

- Khalifa bin Sheail Al-Kuwari’s LAYEQ in the Al Zubarah Trophy for Local Bred Purebred

Arabians: He was third in the same race last year and is an improving young horse

who won the Qatar National Derby in December.

Day Three – Saturday 17 February: HH The Amir Sword and Trophy Day:

 There are eight races for international thoroughbreds and Purebred Arabians,

including top international race horses ridden by famous jockeys in each race.

 There are five races for thoroughbreds over all the most important racing distances:

sprint (1200m), one mile (1600m), 2000m, and the classic distance of 2400m for the

biggest race of all, the HH The Amir Trophy.

 There are three races for Purebred Arabians, including two races at Group 1 level, the

pinnacle of Purebred Arabian racing worldwide.

Horses to watch on Day Three:

- Godolphin’s MISCHIEF MAGIC in the 1200m Dukhan Sprint, won an

international Group 1 race on the biggest day in the USA racing calendar in

2022, and also won his latest start in Dubai impressively. He is still a young horse at

only 4 years old and is really exciting to watch because he gets to the front very late

with tremendous acceleration.

- Shadai Race Horse Co. Ltd’s ZEFFIRO in the 2400m HH The Amir Trophy: He is a crack

Japanese horse who is tremendously consistent and never out of the first four, even

at the very highest level. He was second by a length in a major international Group 1

race in Hong Kong on his last start in December.

- Wathnan Racing’s SIMCA MILLEis the big local hope for Qatar in the HH The Amir

Trophy. He won a Group 1 race in Germany six months ago, then ran creditably in

Europe’s biggest thoroughbred race, the Qatar Arc De Triomphe, in October. He won

his preparatory race here two weeks ago.

- Al Shaqab Racing’s AL GHADEER is the best Purebred Arabian in the world and looks

almost unbeatable in the HH The Amir Sword. The only possible things that might

stop him are the 2400m distance, which he tries for the first time. He bids to land the

golden Sword and be crowned with the Doha Triple Crown, having already won the

first and the second stages of the crown at Goodwood (Qatar International Stakes)

and at ParisLongchamp (Qatar Arabian World Cup) and become the first winner of

the Triple Crown since Ebraz won the legendary title in 2020.

- Wathnan Racing’s ABBES who won the HH The Amir Sword in impressive style last

year and comes into the race having won the biggest race in Abu Dhabi, the Al

Nahyan Jewel Crown.