The Festival starts off with the 24th Qatar International Arabian Horse Show, followed by the 5th Qatar International Straight Egyptian Arabian Horse Show. The highlight of the Festival is the HH The Emir's Trophies and Sword Race Day which features races at the highest level for both purebred Arabians and Thoroughbreds.
"The HH The Emir International Equestrian Festival is a fabulous showcase for equestrianism in the Gulf region", said H.E. Sheikh Mohamed Bin Faleh Al Thani Chairman of the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club.
The first day of the Festival's three days of racing, commences with a nine-race card featuring the Qatar GCC Gulf Cup (1600m) for Arabians and the Qatar 2022 Invitation Cup (1200m), a Group 3 event for Thoroughbreds.
Wednesday the 25th is Qatar International Day, where the highlights of the nine-race card are the Gr.1 Qatar International Trophy (1600m) for Purebred Arabians, the Gr.2 Qatar International Cup (1600m) for Thoroughbreds and the Fegentri Lady Riders race over 1200m.
The Festival culminates with HH The Emir's Race Day on the Thursday, which sees the running of the HH The Emir's Silver Sword (1850m) for Purebred Arabians, the Gr.1 HH The Emir¡¦s Trophy (2400m) for Thoroughbreds and the HH The Emir¡¦s Sword (2400m) for Purebred Arabians.
Last year 400 international visitors attended the Festival, with The European Conference of Arab Horse Organizations and The International Federation of Arabian Horse Racing Authorities using the occasion to stage their Annual General Meetings. With superb facilities, including a state of the art grandstand, the Festival continues to grow in stature, year on year, with prize money reaching a record high of QR25 million (€5 million) in 2014.
