The Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club revealed the racing program for this week, starting next Thursday with the Labshiriya Cup on the Al Rayyan sand track, and the next day the second race for the Sealine Cup “Part One” will be held in Al Oqdah, and the race will be the second part of the same race on November 9. The current one. The Racing and Equestrian Club had revealed the program for the 2024-2025 racing season, sponsored by the Longines Support Fund. The season was scheduled to start about two weeks ago, but it was decided to postpone the start due to the non-completion of preparing the Al Rayyan grass track.
The new horse racing season includes the holding of 69 races, including 47 races on Al Rayyan Racecourse, and 22 races on Al Eqda Racecourse, and 5 races scheduled for Al Rayyan Racecourse were transferred to be held on Al Eqda Racecourse due to the current lack of readiness of Al Rayyan Racecourse.
Abdullah Al-Kubaisi, Director of Racing Department at the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club, says: We are always looking for the best and most suitable for the value and reputation of Qatari horse racing, which has reached a global level, whether through Qatari sponsorship of a number of the largest and most important foreign races, or the level reached by the races held in Doha, which are witnessed. Some of them have a large participation from abroad, especially in the Sword Festival of His Highness the Prince, and some amendments have been made to the new season’s program due to the unpreparedness of the Al Rayyan grass track. Therefore, a number of races will initially be transferred to Al Oqda Racecourse to be added to the group of races that will be held in Al Oqda according to the season program.
From Al Rayyan to Al Aqda
Al-Kubaisi added: According to the amended program for the races, Wednesday’s races will be held on time on the Al-Rayyan sand track without change, but the race that was scheduled to be held every Thursday on the Al-Rayyan grass track will be moved to the Al-Oqda grass track so that it will be held on two days (Thursday and Saturday) of each. A week, where four and sometimes five runs are held, concluding with the cup round in the Thursday race at Al-Oqda, provided that the race is completed on Saturday with four runs at the Al-Oqda track as well, and this continues for 5 races at the beginning of the season as the Al-Rayyan grass track is completed in the appropriate manner. Accordingly, the first race to be held on the Al Rayyan grass track will be next December 14, with the race for the founder’s prize, Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani (may God rest his soul in peace), after which the races will continue on the Al Rayyan grass track without change until the end of the season according to the specified dates. In the program.
Al-Kubaisi continued, saying: The number of races is 69 races during the new season, and the number of rounds in the season is 543, and the season is scheduled to end on May 7, 2025, with the race being held for the Ain Khaled Cup, after the season was scheduled to end with the Final Cup on April 24, before the final amendments were made. .
Big races during the season
In addition to these amendments, the major races throughout the season remain unchanged, as was specified in the season program when it was approved, and the largest event organized by the club every year, which is the Sword Festival of His Highness the Emir, will start on February 13, 2025, and continue for 3 days at Al Rayyan Racecourse, and the last day, corresponding to the 15th, will be dedicated February to hold the strongest and largest races in terms of financial prizes throughout the season, which is the His Highness the Amir’s Golden Sword race for purebred Arabian horses in the first category, for a distance of 2400 metres, and the His Highness the Amir’s Award race for purebred hybrid horses in the first category, for a distance of 2400 metres.
In addition to the Sword Festival of His Highness the Emir, there are many large races that will be held throughout the season, including the Founder Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani Award, “may God rest his soul,” on December 14th, the Qatar International Derby on the 27th of the same month, and the His Highness the Emir Award. Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa Al Thani on January 2, 2025, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Thani Award on March 13, 2025, His Excellency Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani’s rifle on January 18, 2025, and as for the Qatar Golden Sword Award race, it will be held on April 10. 2025.