Stage set for thrilling H E Sheikh Joaan Bin Hamad Al Thani Rifle Day

Doha, Qatar: Under the patronage of the President of the Qatar Olympic Committee H E Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, the Qatar Racing and Equestrian...

Doha, Qatar: Under the patronage of the President of the Qatar Olympic Committee H E Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club (QREC) will organise His Excellency’s Rifle Race Meeting on Saturday.

The event will take place on the turf track at Al Rayyan Racecourse with action featuring 10 races commencing at 11:00am.

The highlight of the day will be the 10th race, the H E Sheikh Joaan Bin Hamad Al Thani Rifle contest. The winning horse of this race will earn a coveted spot in the Shalfa race scheduled during the prestigious H H The Amir Sword Festival, which will be held at Al Rayyan Racecourse in February.

In addition to the 10 races, the event will feature the final qualifiers to determine the champions of the traditional Al Sabiq races. Held during major events at QREC, this heritage racing event attracts a wide participation of outstanding Qatari riders.

The H E Sheikh Joaan Bin Hamad Al Thani Rifle, a 2200m Class 1 contest for Thoroughbreds, will see some powerful and highly-rated horses compete for the title. Among the prominent entries is Simca Mille (Tamayuz x Swertia), owned by Wathnan Racing, who will be saddled by Alban de Mieulle, to defend his title from last year, and partnered byMaxime Guyon. Challenging him is Haunted Dream (Oasis Dream x Red Halo), representingWathnan Racing as well, but for trainer Hamad Al Jehani with James Doyle in the saddle. Also in the race is Aafoor (Qurbaan x Filfila), carrying the colours of Al Jeryan Stud, trained by M H K Al Attiyah and will be ridden by Szczepan Mazur.