H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa Attends Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in Paris ..And stay tuned for an exciting finale

Mdmar – France

In the presence of H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa Al Thani, ParisLongchamp Racecourse hosted the opening races of the first day of the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe meeting on Saturday, October 3.

The prestigious meeting is held under the sponsorship of the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club (QREC), with H.E. Hamad bin Abdulrahman Al Attiyah, Chairman of QREC, also attending and following the day’s action.

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The nine-race card produced continuous excitement and featured three Group 1 contests and three Group 2 races, with Qatari-owned horses continuing their impressive performances.

The results further strengthened the momentum established on Friday, when Al Shaqab Racing celebrated a historic Group 1 double for three-year-old Purebred Arabians at Saint-Cloud through Msaieed and Balsam.

Culmination of a spectacle

The Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe weekend reaches its crescendo today, Sunday, 4 October, at ParisLongchamp. A stellar 10-race card featuring seven Group 1 contests brings together the world’s elite bloodstock for one of international racing’s ultimate showcases.

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Focus centres squarely on two premier highlights: the €1 million Gr.1 PA Qatar Arabian World Cup (Race 4) and the flagship €5 million Gr.1 Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (Race 5).

Racing begins at 2:31 pm Qatar time, with live coverage broadcast on Al Kass Sports Channel and real-time coverage across QREC social media platforms. The opening Gr.1 Qatar Prix Marcel Boussac over 1,600m features a field of 12 juvenile fillies. The action continues with the Gr.1 Qatar Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère over 1,400m, attracting 10 two-year-olds, before speed takes centre stage in the Gr.1 Prix de l’Abbaye de Longchamp Longines over 1,000m, featuring 15 two-year old and older top-flight sprinters, including Al Shaqab Racing’s three-year-old Afjan.

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The fourth contest on the card is the highly anticipated Gr.1 PA Qatar Arabian World Cup, a pivotal leg of the Doha Triple Crown. A stellar field of 13 lines up at 2000m contest, with major Qatari operations dominating the headline contenders. Wathnan Racing fields a potent trio led by the Alban de Mieulle-trained Lippo De Carrere with Mickael Barzalona aboard. The same trainer-owner combination aligns with Chdia under James Doyle while Francois Rohaut saddles Molfit with Faleh Bughenaim at the reins. Al Shaqab Racing mounts a dual threat via Jean de Mieulle’s Shayeg, drawn well in gate 2 under Augustin Madamet, and the Thomas Fourcy-trained mare Hajmah, partnered by Pierre-Charles Boudot. Fourcy also handles Tabarus for HH Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa Al-Thani, ridden by Jean-Bernard Eyquem from stall 4, alongside Geneva for Abdulla bin Fahad Al Attiyah, guided by Tom Marquand. Mansoor Khalil Shahwani relies on Xavier Thomas-Demeaulte’s mare Lacaro Du Croate under Guillaume Guedj-Gay. The leading international opposition includes Helal Alalawi’s team, spearheaded by the Mrs Jean-Francois Bernard-trained pair HM Alchahine under Cristian Demuro and RB Kingmaker with Christophe Soumillon in the saddle, alongside Leonardo Racco’s Rumz with Hamed Al Busaidi aboard. Philip Collington saddles RB Yas Sir under Dougie Costello for K S Racing, while Xavier Thomas-Demeaulte sends out Maqbool for Yas Horse Racing Management with Marvin Grandin in the saddle.

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Attention then shifts to the fifth race on the card, Europe’s supreme autumn showpiece, the Group 1 Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. A crack field of 16 top-tier middle-distance performers assembles over the classic 2,400m trip for Europe’s most coveted prize. Home defence is spearheaded by the Francis-Henri Graffard-trained Daryz under Mickael Barzalona for Aga Khan Studs, alongside stablemate Varandir with Clement Lecoeuvre in the saddle. Jean-Claude Rouget fields Arrow Eagle under Ioritz Mendizabal for Mrs Waltraut Spanner while Alicja Karkosa sends out Chestnut Rocket for Grzegorz Grzegorowski with Marvin Grandin at the reins. Cross-Channel challengers mount a formidable raid, led by Aidan O’Brien’s powerful Ballydoyle trio: Benvenuto Cellini with Ryan Moore aboard, Minnie Hauk under William Buick, and Diamond Necklace with Christophe Soumillon in the saddle. John & Thady Gosden rely on Friendly Soul for George Strawbridge under James Doyle, while Andrew Balding saddles Juddmonte’s Kalpana with Colin Keane. William Haggas sends out Maltese Cross under Tom Marquand for George Waud, Roger Varian aligns with Saddadd for ARM Racing under Ray Dawson, George Scott saddles Bay City Roller for Victorious Forever under Oisin Murphy, and Joseph O’Brien dispatches Thundering On under Pierre-Charles Boudot for Shapoor Mistry. International interest is further bolstered by Japan’s dual threat comprising Yasuo Tomomichi’s Admire Terra under Cristian Demuro for Junko Kondo and Mamoru Ishibashi’s Meisho Tabaru under Yutaka Take for Yoshitaka Matsumoto, alongside German raider Bright Light, trained by Andreas Suborics for Stall Melfi under Benjamin Marie.

The momentum continues into the card’s final Group 1 contests. Race 6 sees a field of nine top-tier fillies and mares line up for the Gr.1 Prix de l’Opéra Longines over 2,000m for three-year-olds and upwards. The high-class action concludes in Race 7 with an eight-runner field of seven-furlong specialists contesting the Gr.1 Qatar Prix de la Forêt over 1,400m for three-year-olds and older.

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The “Mdmar” website which was Founded by Khaled Makhlouf in 2007 for horse and equestrian races is keen to cover and follow all competitions related to horses, from show jumping, Horseracing, speed and endurance races, and purebred Arabian horse beauty shows, which belong to the Arab Gulf countries at home and abroad in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and the State of Qatar, the State of Kuwait, the Sultanate of Oman, and the Kingdom of Bahrain.