Sheikh Mohammed bin Faleh Al Thani (left), Chairman of Racing and Equestrian Club and Nasser Khalil Jaidah, CEO of Qatar Petroleum exchange documents after the contract signing ceremony at W Hotel in Doha, yesterday.Picture by: Shaival Dalal
Doha: Qatar Racing & Equestrian Club (QREC) and Qatar Petroleum International (QPI), which represents Qatar’s energy portfolio globally, inked a landmark agreement yesterday, marking QPI’s sponsorship of Qatar Arabian World Cup.
The prestigious racing event, which is reserved for purebred Arabian horses, will be run on the card of Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp Racecourse, in Paris on October 6.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Faleh Al Thani, QREC Chairman, and Nasser Khalil AI Jaidah, QPI CEO signed the contract agreement here yesterday.
Senior officials from both QREC and QPI were present, including Sami Jassim AI Boenain, QREC General Manager.
Sheikh Mohammed, QREC Chairman, highlighted the high significance of the legendary Arabian racing event and the added value of being associated with QPI.
“In less than six years we have made Qatar Arabian World Cup the world’s creme de la creme racing event for pure Arabians. This year, Qatar Arabian World Cup is getting even a more added value and greater dimensions being sponsored by and associated for the first time with QPI, a strategic commercial investor across the energy value chain around the world. We are confident that QPI’s presence will add more success to the high-profile event and we look forward to an extended partnership that further promotes Qatar’s stature as the home of Arabians and demonstrates,” the QREC Chairman said.
“This is the first time that QPI has sponsored this event and we are greatly honoured by the opportunity to support QREC and to associate QPI with such a magnificent sporting showcase. It is a natural fit for us to want to lend our name and support to this most prestigious of events in the horseracing calendar, and especially one that has such a long and illustrious history of showcasing the finest pure breeds in the world - not to mention Qatar’s top Arabians. It is very important to us to maintain this part of our culture and heritage, far into the future,” AI Jaidah, CEO of QPI said.
The sixth edition of Qatar Arabian World Cup promises to be a one-of-a-kind event as ever.
The Group I 700,000 euros contest is deemed the world championship for 4 year-old and above pure Arabians.
Remarkably, Qatar’s horses dominated the last four editions.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa AI Thani’s Mkeefa and Areej won the fifth and the fourth editions in 2012 and 2011 respectively. Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa AI Thani’s General won the third and the second editions in 2010 and 2009.
Sheikh Mansoor bin Zayed AI Nahyan’s Lahib won the inaugural edition in 2008.
Last year, Qatar’s 4-year-olds stole the show at the Qatar Arabian World Cup by winning the first four places.
In the 2013 edition, one will see the contenders going head to head with a new and talented generation of 4-year-olds, led by Mushrae, winner of the 4-year-olds Derby at Chantilly in June, just in front of AI Mahdod and Muntasar.
Areej, AI Tair and Amaretto, among others, will be joining the party and could well stir up a sensation. The Peninsula
