Great racing on the horizon with Qatar Goodwood Festival closing in
Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club (QREC) and Goodwood Racecourse expressed their satisfaction over their partnership which will see the fourth edition of the Qatar Goodwood Festival later this month.
Speaking at the press launch of the event at the rooftop of Grange St Paul Hotel in London on Monday, Nasser Sherida al-Kaabi, general manager of the QREC, who are behind Qatar’s sponsorship of the Goodwood, said, “British racing is a love for Qataris and Goodwood Racecourse is one of our major partners. We look forward every year to the Qatar Goodwood Festival; the horses and the people attending are very important to us.
“We are very pleased with what the Duke of Richmond and his team have done for us over the years. They have been a great help and we are very happy with the Qatar Goodwood Festival.
“We carry the flag of Qatar all around the world and the horses and everyone connected with the horses are very important to us.
“For example, we are very pleased with the progress made by Tip Two Win. He won twice in Qatar and has run well afterwards. He is a small horse, but has the heart of a lion. European horses have done well in Doha and it is great for us when they return and do well in Europe. We will send an official invitation for Tip Two Win to come back to Qatar in December.” Al-Kaabi was joined at the press launch by the connections of several leading contenders for the top prizes at the Qatar Goodwood Festival, besides personnel from Goodwood Racecourse. Many spoke about their hopes from the five-day extravaganza, which will run from Tuesday, July 31, through to Saturday, August 4. Goodwood Racecourse general manager Alex Eade added: “This is the fourth Qatar Goodwood Festival and it feels to me that it is properly established as one of the highlights of the Flat season, something we always hoped for.
“The entries are particularly strong this year, which includes an open Qatar Sussex Stakes with plenty of horses snapping at Without Parole’s heels and we start the week with an open-looking Qatar Goodwood Cup headed by Stradivarius.”
Alison Lidderdale of Arabian Racing Organisation (ARO), who are responsible for staging the £400,000 Qatar International Stakes for Purebred Arabians on Wednesday, August 1, said, “The Qatar Goodwood Festival is possibly the biggest platform we have as an organisation for demonstrating what we are trying to do, which is bring the Arabian Racing Organisation on to the same level as the rest of the world. We are the only country in the world that doesn’t recognise the Arabian racehorse in the same way and we are very keen for the BHA (British Horseracing Authority) to acknowledge that.
“The BHA are listening to us and moving forward. It is a slow process and it is something that I am trying to manoeuvre and change. I am very hopeful that in the near future we will see something positive. We were and still are proud to partner with Goodwood. It is such a prestigious racecourse and it has been a brilliant ride. When we started two years ago, our liquidity wasn’t phenomenal and now we are up there. I am proud of the product we have now and proud to be alongside Goodwood.”