For Purebred Arabian racehorse lovers, the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe weekend already starts on Thursday afternoon with the AFAC and Arqana Purebred Arabian sales at Saint-Cloud.

This year, sales were moderate as only 67,23% of horses were actually sold. In total, 119 horses went through the ring, of which 80 were sold (one less than last year). The average sales price was 26 656 Euros, hence 600 Euros less than last year and the top price was 155 000 Euros. The turnover for the sales was €2 132 500, but also 39 horses were bought back for a total of €2 131 000.

Marid TM Fred Texas ex Al Dahma (Amer) Qatar Arabian Trophy for 3-y-o colts	Al Haffanah Amer ex Al Nachmiya (Azadi) Qatar Arabian Trophy for 3-y-o fillies
Al Shamoos No Risk Al Maury ex Hamiya (Al Hasim) Qatar Arabian Trophy for 4-y-o mares	Fazza Al Khalediah Jalnar Al Khalediah ex Assma Al Khalediah (Amer) Qatar Arabian World Cup

Photos by Noëlle Derré / Les Cahiers du Cheval Arabe

Saint-Cloud started the racing festival on Friday with the three-year-old Qatar Arabian Trophies.
Marid by TM Fred Texas out of Al Dahma (Amer) lifted the colt’s race while Al Haffanah by Amer out of Al Nachmiya (Azadi) won the filly’s equivalent. Marid is trained by Antoine de Watrigant for Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa Al Thani, while the Thomas Fourcy trained Al Haffanah sports the colours of Al Shaqab Racing, which is Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani’s racing operation. Both three-year-olds were bred at the Haras du Grand Courgeon.

On Saturday, races moved to ParisLongchamp. The Qatar Arabian Trophy for four-year-old mares went to Al Shamoos by No Risk Al Maury out of Hamiya (Al Hasim). Bred by Val Bunting for Dr Mohammad Al Nujaifi, Al Shamoos runs in the colours of Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed. She is trained by Charles Gourdain.

On Sunday, the Qatar Arabian World Cup, one of the highlights of the Purebred Arabian racing calendar, was run at ParisLongchamp, just before the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. This year, a real surprise awaited the many spectators who had come to the newly branded racecourse. A match between the two Qatari stables Al Shahania and Umm Qarn was expected, as they were counting respectively on Gazwan by Amer out of Arc de Ciel, Ebraz by Amer out of Massamarie and Yazeed by Munjiz out of Al Dahma. However, victory went to the Al Khalediah Poland stable after Fazza Al Khalediah by Jalnar Al Khalediah out of Assma Al Khalediah (Amer) came with a late run to triumph in this prestigious race. This four-year-old colt had won eight races in Poland and one listed race in Italy, but he had never run in France where he was born and bred at the Haras de Gouffern. He is trained by Michal Borkowski, who couldn’t believe that he had won and who was surrounded by very emotional connections. The Saudi stable has been absent from French racecourses for a while and it took the Polish arm of its operation to provide this victory everyone dreams about.

Full article will be include in Nr 71 of the magazine Les Cahiers du Cheval Arabe which will be published at the beginning of November.