QREC announces 2025–26 Racing Season Programme
*HH The Amir Sword Festival to begin on 11 February 2026
*Abdulla Al-Kubaisi: For the first time, the prestigious festival will span 4 consecutive days
*70 race meetings at Al Rayyan and Al Uqda and continued support for Qatari jockeys
*Season opens with the Al Ghariyah Cup on 15 October and grand finale on 16 April
Mdmar – Doha – QREC
The Qatar Racing & Equestrian Club (QREC), chaired by Hamad bin Abdulrahman Al-Attiyah, has unveiled its horse racing programme for the 2025–26 season, which will feature an extensive calendar of 70 meetings across Al Rayyan and Al Uqda racecourses.
The season’s schedule has been finalised following a comprehensive review, incorporating feedback from owners and trainers and drawing on the QREC’s internal technical reports. The goal is to deliver an optimally structured programme for all stakeholders.
This season will introduce several firsts for QREC, most notably the expansion of the HH The Amir Sword Festival to four consecutive days at Al Rayyan Racecourse. The first two days will be run on dirt, with turf racing scheduled for the final two days. Across the four-day event, a total of 32 races will be staged – an unprecedented format. The season will also see an increase in the number of meetings and races overall.
Season Opener in Mid-October
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Commenting on the new season’s programme, Abdulla Al-Kubaisi, QREC Racing Manager, stated: “The season will commence on Wednesday, 15 October 2025, and conclude on Thursday, 16 April 2026. It includes 70 race meetings – 46 at Al Rayyan and 24 at Al Uqda – with a total of 547 races, up from originally 543 last season, which eventually rose to 556 last term after splitting and adding races based on demand and we may do the same again this season to ensure opportunities are available across all horse categories.”
“We’ll open the season with the Al Ghariyah Cup at Al Rayyan and close it at the same venue with the End Of Season Cup”, he added, “The highlight of the season will undoubtedly be the HH The Amir Sword Festival, along with other key race days, including The Late Sheikh Jassim Bin Mohammed Bin Thani Trophy, Qatar Derby, HH Sheikh Abdullah Bin Khalifa Al Thani Trophy, HE Sheikh Joaan Bin Hamad Al Thani Rifle, HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Thani Trophy and Qatar Gold Sword And Trophy.”
New Additions to Prestigious Festival
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Al-Kubaisi highlighted major changes to the HH The Amir Sword Festival: “For the first time, the festival will run across four days – from 11 to 14 February 2026 – at Al Rayyan. The HH The Amir Trophy for Thoroughbreds and the HH The Amir Sword for Purebred Arabians will headline the final day’s card as the third and fourth races. New races have also been introduced to the festival. On the final day, the Qatar International Thoroughbred Handicap Cup for horses rated 90–110 will be run over 2,400m and open to international runners. On Day Two, two new races will be staged. These are The Middle Distance Cup, a handicap for Local Purebred Arabians rated 85-105 over 1,700m, and the Sand Sprint Cup, a handicap for Thoroughbreds rated 85–105 over 1,200m.
Categories of runners
*“mdmar” website for horse races and equestrian News
As for horse categories included in the programme, Al-Kubaisi noted: “Races will be open to imported and local Purebred Arabians aged three and up and Thoroughbreds, both imported and local bred, aged two and up. The programme accommodates a wide range of classifications, from newcomers to seasoned champions with outstanding local and international records. QREC will also continue to support Qatari jockeys in line with its long-term strategy to nurture local riding talent and prepare them to compete at the highest level. Our riders are currently attending a two-month training course at the South African Jockey Academy. This strategy has already proven successful, with a growing number of Qatari jockeys participating regularly in QREC’s weekly meetings and even achieving remarkable results at some of the world’s most prestigious racecourses.”
*“mdmar” website for horse races and equestrian News
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.
