Doha hoping to become international racing hub via Amir Sword festival

Qatar is preparing to open its doors to the world for the 2022 World Cup and there is a sense of bigger things to come in the capital Doha, where towers, stadiums and highways are rapidly taking the place of desert.

The country is using sport to develop its status in the region and image on the world stage, both by hosting international competitions, such as the Qatar Open tennis tournament, and through a plethora of global partnerships.

Qatar is perhaps best known in racing circles for its sponsorship of some of the sport's most prestigious events, including Glorious Goodwood, the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and, through Doha-based investment company Qipco, the 1,000 and 2,000 Guineas.

But it is the ambition of the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club (QREC) for this wealthy Middle Eastern nation to become an international racing hub by investing in its domestic competitions and infrastructure alongside its commitment to the sport overseas.

Al Rayyan racecourse, just outside Doha, is the focal point of this development and serves as a training base for many of the country’s horses, a mixed population of more than 700 Arabians and thoroughbreds, with the majority of the latter imported from Europe.

Looking out over the track, the Aspire Tower, a landmark of the 2006 Asian Games, has rare ownership of the skyline, at least until the next wave of towers is built.

The view across the dirt track at Al Rayyan racecourseCredit: Jonathan Harding

Al Rayyan is one of two racecourses in Qatar – the other has no grandstand and is rarely used – but there are long-standing plans to build a new track. However, things are liable to change in a country where you are never far from a construction site and the layout of roads shift daily to accommodate building work.

The development of Al Zubarah, a new stud in the north of the country funded by QREC, is in its final stage and will include a stallion yard, an auction house and plenty of trees to combat the intense summer heat.

QREC's ambition has shaped the HH The Amir Sword Festival, the country’s three biggest racedays of the year, offering a little over US$4.3 million in prize-money across 25 turf races at Al Rayyan.

The meeting ends on Saturday with the $1m HH The Amir Sword, final leg of the Doha triple crown for Purebred Arabians, with the first two legs having taken place at Goodwood and Longchamp.

Gambling and alcohol are forbidden at the track, where racegoers pile into its only grandstand with the dual aim of watching the feature race and catching a glimpse of HH The Emir, the monarch and head of state.

Horses are an important part of the nation’s culture and tradition, and Qatar is considered a leader in the Arabian breed.

The Amir Sword celebrates this and will be contested by the three largest racing operations in the country, owned by members of the Qatari royal family, for whom the sport is an important hobby.

They include Al Shahania Stud, whose horses are trained on site by British-born trainer Julian Smart, Umm Qarn, once the palatial home of the Jamie Osborne-trained Toast Of New York, and Al Shaqab Racing, made famous by dual Arc winner Treve.

Owned by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Thani, Al Shahania epitomises the country’s investment in racing and is a 300-acre oasis, complete with gates befitting a castle.

Domestic talent in the thoroughbred sphere is primarily associated with Jassim Mohammed Gazali Jahromi, Qatar’s leading trainer for the last five seasons, thanks in no small part to Harry Bentley, who is again leading the race to be crowned champion jockey.

While many races are dedicated to local runners and Arabian horses, the Amir Sword festival remains an international affair, with four invitation-only thoroughbred contests opened up to horses from around the world.

Tip Two Win was a high-profile winner of the Al Biddah Mile last year before finishing second in the 2,000 Guineas, and QREC hopes to improve the standard of foreign horses competing to develop the meeting into a global racing event.

Tip To Win (white and black silks) chases home Saxon Warrior in the 2,000 Guineas at NewmarketCredit: Mark Cranham

The highlight for international raiders is the valuable HH The Amir Trophy, contested this year by the Aidan O’Brien-trained globetrotter Hunting Horn, a coup for the festival with three-time champion jockey Ryan Moore competing in Doha for the first time.

By investing in races like this, and in sport more generally, Qatar hopes to put itself on the map and build a platform from which to showcase its culture and traditions.

The Amir Sword Festival is a major part of this and is viewed as an opportunity for Qatar to show the sport’s international community its intention to become a significant racing nation.

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