The 2024/2025 season at the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club (QREC) wrapped up with remarkable success, further solidifying Qatar’s position as a global leader in horse racing and equestrian sport. This year’s calendar witnessed a compelling mix of elite competition, increased international participation and exceptional organisation across both racing and Arabian horse shows.
Spanning from November to May, the racing season comprised 70 meetings over 78 race days, featuring a total of 555 races at Al Rayyan and Al Uqda racecourses, according to statistics issued by the QREC recently. Al Rayyan staged 48 race days with 392 races, while Al Uqda contributed 22 race days and 163 races. The fields featured a wide mix of local and international talent, with more than 1,600 runners and 310 local owners represented. The action was consistently filled with thrilling contests, reflecting the season’s competitiveness and depth.
The total prize money exceeded QR88m, distributed across all races and rewarding the top five finishers according to QREC’s prize structure. The financial scale and technical quality of racing underscored Qatar’s growing stature on the global equestrian map.
The highlight of the year was once again the H H The Amir Sword Festival, widely regarded as Qatar’s most prestigious racing event. The 2025 edition featured 26 top-tier races, including seven relocated from Al Rayyan to Al Uqda to ensure ideal track conditions. The festival attracted world-class Thoroughbreds and Purebred Arabians, reaffirming its international prestige and competitive relevance.
Al Ghadeer dominated headlines by retaining the H H The Amir Sword and completing a second consecutive Doha Triple Crown, having earlier won the Qatar International Stakes and Qatar Arabian World Cup. In the Thoroughbred feature, Rebel’s Romance repeated his triumph in the H H The Amir Trophy, showcasing enduring class. Other memorable victories came from Bianca De Ghazal, Aafoor and Rogue Lightning during a packed final weekend.
Alongside racing, the 2024/2025 Arabian horse show season featured 12 major events, beginning with the Start of Season Auction in October and including landmark shows such as the Qatar Arabian Horse Breeders Cup, Al Shaqab International Show, and Doha International Arabian Horse Show, before ending in April with the End of Season Auction.
Together, the racing and horse show calendars reflected a vibrant and successful season, raising the bar yet again for Qatar’s equestrian legacy. The upcoming season is expected to offer even more thrilling action as QREC continues to elevate its standards year after year.
