Thrilling conclusion of Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe HH Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa Al Thani crowned the winners

His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa Al Thani crowned the winners of the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (QPAT) and the Qatar Arabian World Cup at the conclusion of the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe weekend on Sunday. The annual Qatar-sponsored event has been held since 2008 under the partnership between the Qatar Racing & Equestrian Club (QREC) and France Galop and will continue to 2022.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Thani was present at ParisLongchamp on the finale of the mega event. Also present were Nadia Al SheebiCharge d’affaires of the Embassy of Qatar in France, His Excellency Issa bin Mohammed Al Mohannadi QREC Chairman, Hamad bin Abdulrahman Al Attiyah, QEF and AEF President, QREC officials, horse owners and trainers from Qatar as well as dozens of thousands of racegoers who flood into renovated ParisLongchamp to watch and be part of QPAT.

The Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe: Enable winner for second time in a row

Enable just held on to foil the late charge of Sea Of Class and successfully defend her crown in a sensational race at ParisLongchamp.John Gosden’s Enable was a brilliant winner of Europe’s premier middle-distance contest last season and although she missed much of the current campaign through injury, an impressive comeback at Kempton ensured she was a red-hot favourite to become the eighth dual winner of the Arc.Ridden by Frankie Dettori, Enable was always travelling strongly on the heels of the leaders and the packed grandstands roared as she hit the front.

Gosden said: “It’s not been the preparation we wanted, it’s been very difficult. I actually had a hiccup between Kempton and here with a slight temperature, so it has not been easy … She wasn’t at her best today. I’ve had a difficult year with her and started with a bit more hair than I have now. It’s entirely down to the filly and her guts and a lovely ride from Frankie … The ground is a little slick – I’d liked to have seen more rain – but she’s got the job done and it’s very much down to her mind and ability … She’s a wonderful filly and it’s an enormous sense of relief.”

Gosden raised the possibility of Enable staying in training as a five-year-old in a bid to become the first horse to win the Arc three times.

TheQatarArabianWorld Cup: FazzaAlKhalediahorthehuge Polishsurprisepackage

FazzaAlKhalediah(JalnarAlKhalediah)staged abig upsetwin inTheQatarArabianWorld Cup.Verywelldrawn, thePolishraider bidedhis timebeforemakingheadway on theinside. Hethen quickendedclearinthestraight torecordaneasy victory atthe main expenseoftheFrench-trained Khataab(Amer)and theQatariraiderEbraz(Amer).Trained byMichalBorkowski, thefour-year-old hadonlypreviouslybeaten once!Prior to thatherecordednineconsecutivewins.Michal Borkowski, trainer of the winner, said : « The success is all down to the horse. He’s the best {PA} horse in the world. It’s the first big international victory for Polish {PA} racing since the end of the Second World War. My team has done an extraordinary job. »

Qatar Prix Marcel Boussac – Critérium for the fillies: Lily’s Candle or Martin Schwartz’s lucky star 

Bought Saturday evening during the Arqana Arc sale for 490.000 €, Lily’s Candle was quick to reward her new owner, Martin Schwartz by winning the Qatar Prix Marcel Boussac – Critérium for fillies. The filly, her trainer FabriceVermeulen’s first Gr1, travelled in the rear end of the pack and squeezed through on the inside of the home straight. She battled for the win and hit the post a shade cosily of Matematica, who was on her second time out. Star Terms (Sea The Stars) came a close third.

Qatar Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère (Grand Critérium) – Sponsorised by Manateq : Big step up for Royal Marine 

Royal Marine, despite his inexperience only from being maiden he became a group 1 winner on his third public outing. He won the Qatar Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère and proved to be courageous. The leader in the race, Broome, maintained the second place in front of the French contender Anodor, who couldn’t show the turn of foot we know he has.

Prix de l’OpéraLongines: Wild Illusion loves France

Last years’ winner of the Group 1 Qatar Prix Marcel Boussac, Wild Illusion (Dubawi) won the Prix de l’OpéraLongines (Gr1), after having problems to enter in the starting stalls. The representative of Godolphin finished in front of Magic Wand (Galileo), who looked like the winner for a while, and also beat the French contender Homérique (Exchange Rate) who made a good final effort. Wild Illusion found her preferred distance over 2000m and should now head towards Breeders’ Cup Fillies and Mares Turf.

Prix de l’AbbayeLongines: Mabs Cross takes it to the wire

Mabs Cross (Dutch Art), the British filly ridden by GéraldMossé, came with a strong run to take the Prix de l’Abbaye de Longines (Gr1) in the final strides. Gold Vibe (Dream Ahead), having been tracked by the winner, had to settle for second – a place of front of the two-year-old. Soldier’s Call (Showcasing) who went very close to pulling off a notable feat. Battaash (Dark Angel), the defending champion and pacesetter,finished out of the places in fourth. Mabs Cross was coming off a second in the Nunthorpe Stakes (Gr1) and, with her first choice riders being side-lined through injury, GéraldMossé stepped up to the mark with aplomb.

HH Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa Al Thani: Extension of sponsorship of Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe under consideration

Although the His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa Al Thani-owned Yazeed did not win the Qatar Arabian World Cup while he was a favourite, His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa Al Thani responded to the media representatives and spoke to them giving His Highness’s opinions of the race and its unexpected result.

His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa Al Thani said: ‘This race saw a surprise, which no one expected at all. It was a tough race in general and the winner, Fazza Al Khalediah, won the title deservedly. In fact, he gave a wonderful performance and I congratulate his owners for his class and ability to win the Qatar Arabian World Cup. We should put in consideration that ground at ParisLongchamp was affected by the rain today. In horse racing, each race has its own circumstances. Yazeed was a favourite, especially as he was at best and won the trial race three weeks ago, but soft ground did not help him give his usual performance’.

His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa Al Thani added: ‘Qatar’s sponsorship of the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe started in 2008 and will continue to 2022. The renewal of the partnership to continue the sponsorship of this event is under consideration, given the huge global reputation of the event, which comes with plenty of strength and thrill one year after another. In addition, dozens of thousands of racegoers attend the races at Paris Longchamp along with the TV broadcasting to nearly 100 countries, giving access to at least a billion viewers worldwide. I think Qatar’s decision to sponsor this event has been a right one’.

His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa Al Thani concluded: ‘In the coming years, we would like to see more people from Qatar in this event and we will have Marid, who won the Qatar Arabian Trophy DesPoulains over 2000 metres at St. Cloud two days ago.