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| Staff Writer |
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The recently concluded 2023-2024 racing season showcased outstanding achievements, underscoring the dedication of the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club (QREC) management, led by HE Issa bin Mohammed Al-Mohannadi, in elevating Qatar’s equestrian sport to a significant level.
The season also demonstrated the ongoing efforts to develop races and uphold Qatar’s horse racing on the global stage by adhering to the highest standards practiced in renowned racecourses worldwide. Additionally, the availability of the Al Rayyan and the Al Uqda racecourses throughout the season, as per the pre-planned program, further contributed to these achievements.
The QREC Racing Department's final statistics for the last season reflect the tremendous effort exerted. The focus now shifts to ensuring that the upcoming 2024-2025 season will feature robust competition among owners, trainers, and jockeys, while continuously raising the standards of racing.
Abdulla Al Kubaisi, QREC Racing Manager, said, “We organised 67 race days during the last season, including 45 on both turf and sand at Al Rayyan and the rest on both turf and sand at Al Uqda. All went well as per the programme, which takes into account the start and end times of the season based on the weather conditions and the ratings of Arabians and Thoroughbreds to ensure largest possible number of horses have the opportunity to run in races, which suit their ages and abilities.”
“According to the figures announced, last season saw 560 races, including 403 races in 45 race days at Al Rayyan Racecourse from 18 October 2023 until 25 April 2024, and 157 races in 22 race days at Al Uqda from 18 November 2023 until 2 March 2024”, added Al Kubaisi, “The season had 7,881 runners, including 5,754 at Al Rayyan and 2,127 Al Uqda. The total of the horses who made those runs is 1,227 horses, representing the total number of horses officially registered and actually ran at Al Rayyan and Al Uqdah. Many horses normally run on several occasions throughout the season as deemed appropriate by their respective owners and trainers.”
Speaking about the prize money, Abdulla Al Kubaisi said, “The 2023-2024 season saw the prize money reaching an unprecedented figure in QREC’s history, as the total prize money reached 87,510,520 Qatari Riyals, of which 78,030,520 million were in the races held at Al Rayyan and the rest for the races held at Al Uqda. We have reached this figure as a result of the significant increase in the prize money of the HH The Amir Sword Festival, which reached $10 million for the second season in a row, which contributed to raising the standard, enhancing the stature of the Festival in the region and attracting several runners from European and Asian countries. For the first time, the minimum of prize money of a feature race was QAR 120,000.”