Qatar makes its mark on French equestrian scene

It was in 2008 that the ‘Qatar’ name was first emblazoned at Longchamp in Paris for what is considered Europe’s most prestigious race meeting — Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

The Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club (QREC) signed the first deal with France Galop, the governing body for horse racing in France, for five years, before it was extended for another 10 years, with the partnership now running till 2022.

One of the first things that changed is that the prize money doubled to €4mn. Today, with a total prize pot of €5mn for the feature race, it is the continent’s richest turf race.

The prize pot and the stature of the race have attracted some of the best horses from around the world vying for honours in the iconic race.

Take for instance, Treve, a filly owned by Al Shaqab Racing, that captured the imagination of an entire nation and the larger horse racing universe when she raced on the Longchamp turf for the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

The Criquette HeadMaarek-trained filly had failed to sell at an auction and the Head family retained the horse, before HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad al-Thani bought her. The filly won the big race at Longchamp for two straight times – in 2013 and 2014 – the first time a horse had done so since 1978.

She made an unprecedented hat-trick attempt in 2015, and even though she lost to a colt almost half her age, she had earned a fan following like no other. Ahead of her hat-trick effort, the streets of Paris had seen a spectacular laser show that showed her galloping along, besides a social media campaign ‘#FollowTreve’.

This year’s edition saw Frankie Dettori ride John Gosden-trained Enable to her second straight victory to emulate Treve. And to then demonstrate the quality of the competition at the Qatar-backed Arc, the filly then crossed the pond to add the Breeders’ Cup Turf to her resume. It was the first time ever that a horse had annexed the dream double.

Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe not only attracts the best horses and the best trainers, it has also won accolades. The 2,400m race was named Longines World’s Best Horse Race in 2017, the second time it had won the award in three years.

The Arc weekend, as it has been called for years, now includes 11 Group level races, including seven Group 1s. And that’s just for the Thoroughbreds.

The weekend had traditionally been a Thoroughbreds racing event, but with the Qatari interest in Purebred Arabians, the weekend saw additions to the card.

The Qatar Arabian World Cup, one of two Group 1s for the Arabians held over the weekend, is the richest race for Purebred Arabians with a total prize pot of a million euros.

Qatar Arabian World Cup is also the second leg of the Doha Triple Crown, which carries a million dollar bonus to the horse that will win three of the biggest Arabian races in the world — Qatar International Stakes (Gr1 PA) at the Qatar Goodwood Festival, Qatar Arabian World Cup (Gr1 PA) during the Arc weekend and HH The Amir’s Sword (Gr1 PA) in Doha — in a single season.

So far, the prize has not been won by any horse, which has only added to the allure of the crown.

Qatari colours have done well in the Qatar Arabian World Cup since it was first started in 2008. Six Qatariowned horses have won the 2000m Group 1 race for Purebred Arabians eight times since 2008.

His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa al-Thani-owned General and Al Shaqab Racing’s Al Mourtajez are both two-time winners of the Qatar Arabian World Cup.

Talking about hosting the Qatar Arabian World Cup during the Arc weekend, QREC chairman Issa alMohannadi this year said, “Having the Qatar Arabian World Cup run just before the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe race has brought several benefits. It guarantees a larger turnout at the race, which Qatar is keen to have, given Qatar’s commitment to its great heritage of Purebred Arabians. In the coming years, we will continue this tradition.”

Over the years, many Qatari companies have partnered with QREC to sponsor races at the race meeting. This year’s renewal also saw Qatar Airways and Manateq partner with the QREC in sponsoring the event. “Their presence was strong and active, and contributed to the event. In addition, thousands of people were at ParisLongchamp, which is also in the interest of the organisations who partner with us in this sponsorship,” al-Mohannadi said.

Longchamp is an iconic Parisian track that had needed an overhaul of sorts to keep up with the changing times and the modern needs of horse racing. Qatar’s partnership with France Galop enabled that.

France Galop closed down the track for two years, while the Arc action moved to Chantilly. Earlier this year, Longchamp opened, rebranded as ParisLongchamp, to some encouraging feedback.

According to The Guardian, the two-day fixture also a commercial success, with France-Galop reporting total revenues of €2mn, said to be four times the equivalent figure for previous years.

QREC is also involved with various events in the run up to the weekend, including an Arabian horses’ sale, including two races for Purebred Arabians at SaintCloud the Friday before the Arc weekend.

When the Arc returned to a renovated Longchamp this year, after a two-year stint at Chantilly, al-Mohannadi was understandably pleased. “This year’s edition has been a huge success, especially as it returned to ParisLongchamp. The renovation has made the racecourse ideal. It can accommodate a larger number of race-goers now and it looks much better, which in turn is in the interest of the event sponsored by Qatar over the years,” he said.

Qatar Equestrian Federation president Hamad bin Abdulrahman al-Attiyah added: “The ParisLongchamp has seen a great development. This has been, for sure, due to the partnership between Qatar and France Galop as well as the keenness of the French side to invest this partnership in to better organisation and facilities. ParisLongchamp has become a world-class racecourse in the full sense of the word. We are happy with this development because this is in the interest of the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in future.”