The Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club (QREC) is gearing up to start the 2024-2025 horse racing season with the Al Beshariyah Cup Day at Al Rayyan sand track on Wednesday. Sponsored by the Social & Sport Contribution Fund (DAAM) and Longines, the season will feature 69 race meetings, with 47 at Al Rayyan racecourse and 22 at Al Uqda racecourse. Due to ongoing renovations at the Al Rayyan turf track, five race days originally scheduled for Al Rayyan have been moved to Al Uqda.
QREC Racing Manager Abdullah Al Kubaisi emphasized the club’s commitment to maintaining the global status of Qatar’s horse racing industry. He highlighted Qatar’s sponsorship of prestigious international race events and the high-quality races held in Doha, some of which attract extensive international participation. The adjustments to the new season program were made to accommodate the ongoing renovation of the Al Rayyan turf track, with race days in the early weeks being moved to Al Uqda.
The revised racing program includes conducting Wednesday’s races as planned on the sand track at Al Rayyan, while races originally scheduled for Thursdays on the Al Rayyan turf track will be moved to Al Uqda. These race days will now be held over two days, Thursday and Saturday, with four to five races ending with the cup race on Thursday and the remaining races on Saturday. This arrangement will continue for the first five race days until the Al Rayyan turf track is fully prepared.
The first race day on Al Rayyan turf track is set for December 14, featuring the Late Sheikh Jassim Bin Mohammed Al Thani Trophy Day. Following that, races will continue on the Al Rayyan turf track as per the original schedule for the remainder of the season. The season will comprise a total of 543 races, culminating on May 7, 2025, with the Ain Khaled Cup Day. Major race days, including the H H The Amir Sword Festival and prestigious races like the H H The Amir Sword and H H The Amir Trophy, will remain unchanged in the season’s program.
The highlight of the QREC’s calendar, the H H The Amir Sword Festival, will kick off on February 13, 2025, and run for three days at Al Rayyan. The festival’s final day on February 15 will feature the most prestigious and lucrative races of the season, namely the H H The Amir Sword for purebred Arabians and the H H The Amir Trophy for thoroughbreds. In addition to the festival, other significant race meetings scheduled during the season include the Late Sheikh Jassim Bin Mohammed Al Thani Trophy, Qatar International Derby, H H Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa Al Thani Trophy, H H Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Thani Trophy, H E Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani Rifle, and the Qatar Gold Sword.
