The eyes of horse racing fans around the world are turning to the French capital, Paris, which is preparing to host the 105th edition of the Qatar Arc de Triomphe Prix early next October at the Paris Longchamp track, with the participation of an elite group of the best horses and riders in the world.
The race, which was held for the first time in 1920, is one of the most prominent horse races on the global level, and has witnessed great development since the launch of Qatari sponsorship about 20 years ago.
The race will be held over two days with an estimated audience of about 35,000 spectators, in addition to being broadcast on television to about 60 countries.
The race program includes 18 races, including 10 races of the first category, with a total prize money of 10 million euros, while the value of the prize for the main race, the Qatar Arc de Triomphe Prize for purebred hybrid horses of the first category, is five million euros.
The Paris Longchamp competitions will be preceded by a group of events, as next Thursday a horse auction will be held in the Arcana Hall, while the Saint-Cloud Racecourse will witness the following day the two halves of the Qatar Award for Purebred Arabian Fillies and the Qatar Award for Purebred Arabian Colts, the last edition of which witnessed the victory of “Sabahiya,” King of Al Shaqab Racing, and “Laffan,” King of Al Wasmiya Racing.
The opening ceremony will also be held on the same day at the Wagram Hall in Paris, and includes a draw for the horses participating in the two halves of the Qatar Prix Arc de Triomphe and the Qatar World Cup for Purebred Arabian Horses, in the presence of owners, trainers, riders, and a number of prominent figures in the world of racing and media figures, provided that the draw is conducted electronically and the starting gates for the participating horses are announced during it.
The accompanying activities also include a march on the track next Sunday during which the flags of the countries participating in the Qatar Arc de Triomphe will be raised, in addition to a village designated for fans to learn about the cultures of the participating countries, as well as a cavalry march with the participation of a number of the most prominent international names, including the Japanese Yutaka Taki, the Englishman Ryan Moore, Christophe Soumillon, Maxime Guillon, Christian Demuro and Michael Barzalona.
In the main half, attention turns to Darez, champion of the Qatar Arc de Triomphe last year, who seeks to retain the title and achieve a feat that only eight horses have achieved in more than a century, including Treve in 2013 and 2014, and Enable in 2017 and 2018.
“Darys” enters the competition after recently winning the Qatar Foy Award, while the current list of entries for the Qatar Arc de Triomphe Award includes 73 horses, including “Best Secret” and “Gaithen” of the King of Wadhanan Racing, and “Alam” of the King of Al Shaqab Racing.
The participating horses will face anticipated competition from Japanese horses, which are seeking to achieve Japan’s first win in the race since its participation in 1969, in addition to the Irish presence, which stands out among them are “Constitution River”, winner of the Qatar Jockey Club Award, and “Diamond Necklace”, winner of the Diane Longines Award.
The Qatar World Cup for Purebred Arabian Horses, Category 1, receives great attention within the event program, after it has established its position as one of the most prominent purebred Arabian horse races in the world, as Qatari horses have won the title 15 times out of 18 editions since its launch in 2008, while Al Ghadeer, King of Al Shaqab Racing, has won the title in the last three editions.
The current entry list for the Cup includes 27 horses, with the final list to be announced next Thursday. The list witnesses a large Qatari presence through the horses of Al Shaqab Racing, Wudhanan Racing, Al Wasmiya Racing, and a number of Qatari owners, in an effort to continue the distinguished Qatari presence in the championship record.