Doha: Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club (QREC) has unveiled its new identity for HH The Amir Sword Festival, which will run from February 13 to 15 at the club's Al Rayyan Racecourse. Addressing a press conference on Sunday, Chairman of the Board of Directors of QREC, Issa bin Mohammed Al Mohannadi, affirmed the club's readiness to host the festival, one of the season's most prominent and important events. He also highlighted that the event will be held at the newly updated Al Rayyan racetrack, following recent enhancements to the venue.
According to Qatar News Agency, Al Mohannadi also revealed the new identity of the festival, which is the "Bisht", symbolizing Qatari heritage and reinforcing the nation's proud legacy. He noted that the festival will be a grand carnival for both Qatari and international equestrianism, reflecting the distinguished status that horse racing has achieved in Qatar. He mentioned that this year's festival will feature numerous international participants, with prize money reaching up to USD 10 million. He highlighted that the event will be held in partnership with a group of new collaborators, aimed at enhancing the festival's success and ensuring it reflects the prestigious standing of Qatari horse racing on the global stage.
Al Mohannadi also noted that the festival's level of the races continues to improve each year, thanks to the significant international participation of high-class horses. For his part, QREC's Acting CEO Badr Mohammed Al Darwish stressed that announcing the partners is an important step towards organizing the festival to ensure achieving the best levels of success and presenting the current version of the festival in the best possible way. Al Darwish pointed out that the festival will be held over three days and will witness many strong rounds daily on the designated track, with the participation of horses from abroad, which will increase the level of competition for the top positions.
Providing technical details of the festival, Racing Manager at QREC Abdullah Al Kubaisi stated that a large group of races will be held every day, and the final day will include the two most important races, which are HH the Amir's Trophy and HH the Amir's Sword race, with a large participation. He added that the HH the Amir's Sword race will see significant international participation, with 28 horses from outside Qatar taking part. The race will also feature "Al Ghadeer," owned by Al Shaqab Racing, who is the top contender for the win. Al Kubaisi pointed out that the club's races are witnessing great development and the judging process is carried out using the latest technologies used globally.