Qatar International Stakes - Goodwood

Qatar International StakesGroup 1PA

Wednesday 31st July 2019

The Arabian and Goodwood

Horse racing has existed ever since horses were first domesticated, around 7,000 years ago. The Arabian horse is one of the oldest breeds and was developed specifically for stamina and soundness over long distances by the Bedouin tribes of the Arabian Peninsula.

During the late 17 th and early 18 th century, horse racing became popular in Britain and with races run in heats, over distances of up to four miles, stamina and soundness were of great importance. Breeders looked to the East for this quality and many oriental stallions and mares were imported to help create the Thoroughbred racehorse. The most famous of these foundation stallions were The Darley Arabian, The Godolphin Arabian and The Byerley Turk.

With no photography or film at that time, we can be thankful that our foremost equine artist, George Stubbs, was able to record the breeds’ early development, including portraits of a number of these imported stallions. Some of Stubbs’s earliest patrons were Lord Grosvenor, whose Arabian he painted in a typical Stubbs landscape and Charles Lennox, the third Duke of Richmond.

Stubbs stayed at Goodwood House for nine months, producing three paintings which summed up life on the estate including ‘Racehorses Exercising at Goodwood’ with Mary, Duchess of Richmond in the centre, watching three horses gallop away, whilst a fourth is rubbed down in the foreground.

Today, around 50% of Thoroughbred’s trace their ancestry to the Darley Arabian alone and with the emphasis now on breeding for speed, the modern Thoroughbred is approximately one second per furlong faster than an Arabian racehorse. Through genome testing, we know that Arabians carry the T:T variant, or stamina gene, as did Eclipse, the elite racehorse of his day, and another of Stubbs’s subjects.

Arabian racing and breeding takes place in 32 countries, all year round. Countries such as France, America, Russia, Poland and the Gulf States have a full programme of Arabian racing integrated with Thoroughbred racing, whilst in Turkey it is almost 50-50 Thoroughbred to Arabian racing at their racecourses.

Purebred Arabian racing began in the UK in 1978 and was established as the Arabian Racing Organisation (ARO) in 1999 under the patronage of HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum. ARO holds around 50 races per season, comprising of full fixtures and single races on Thoroughbred cards from spring through to autumn. Just like their Thoroughbred cousins, Arabian racehorses may compete in maidens, handicaps, conditions and Group (Pattern) races and there is an International Classification system to assist global competition.

Prior to the Qatar International Stakes, Arabians last raced at Goodwood in 2002, in a six furlong sprint open to international runners. The introduction of the Qatar International Stakes to the Goodwood Festival has brought some of the world’s top Arabian racehorses to compete on the Sussex Downs, including the 2016 winner Al Mourtajez. He became the World’s highest ever rated Arabian racehorse later that year when he was awarded a rating of 134 after winning The Qatar Arabian World Cup at Chantilly in October.

The following year in torrential rain, Tayf and Ebraz duelled throughout the final furlong, with Tayf proving victorious by a nose in a photo. Despite the challenging weather conditions, it was a thrilling contest and voted ‘Finish of the Day’ by Racing UK [now Racing TV]. In last year’s renewal Ebraz was again runner-up, though this time to Muraaqib, with Tayf in fourth, all three horses have been entered for the 2019 race. Also entered is this year’s Qatar Derby des Pur-Sang Arabe winner, Hayyan, as well as Rodess Du Loup who did the French and UK Derby double in 2018.

The 23 entries include ten individual Group 1 PA winners, plus a further nine horses entered who are either PA Pattern winners or have been placed in pattern races.

The overall prize fund for the Qatar International Stakes is £400,000, with £200,000 to the winner. There will also be a prize of £250 awarded to the groom of the Best Turned Out horse.

Qatar International Stakes - Group 1 PA form

127 Ebraz (6 H Amer x Massamarie) HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Thani

3 x Gr1PA: HH The Amir Sword 2017, 2019 Qatar Cup (Prix Dragon) 2017

Leading horse in Qatar 2018/2019 (prize money won)

126 Muraaqib (FR) (7 H Munjiz x Tashreefat) HH Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum

7 x Gr1PA: Qatar International Stakes 2018 Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Jewel Crown 2017 International Malazgirt Trophy 2017 President of the UAE Cup (Coupe de Europe) 2017, Dubai International Stakes 2016 Al Rayyan Cup (Prix Kesberoy) 2015 Qatar Total Arabian Trophy des Poulains 2015

Leading horse in UK 2018 (prize money won)

121 Tayf (FR) (7 H Amer x Djelmila) HH Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa Al Thani

2 x Gr1PA: President of the UAE Cup (Coupe de Europe) 2019 Qatar International Stakes 2017

Leading horse in UK 2017 (prize money won)

119 Lightning Bolt (FR) (7 H Munjiz x Oleya Du Loup) Langoed Waterland

2 x Gr1PA: Dubai International Stakes 2017President of the UAE Cup (UK Arabian Derby) 2016

114 Rodess Du Loup (FR) (5 H Dahess x Aurore Du Loup) Khalifa Hamad Al Attiyah

2 x Gr1PA: Qatar Derby des Pur-Sang Arabes 2018President of the UAE Cup (UK Arabian Derby) 2018

Qatar International StakesGroup 1PA

Previous Winners, Ground and Times:

2018

Muraaqib

HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum

Francois Rohaut (France), Jim Crowley

Good, 1.48.00

2017

Tayf

HH Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa Al Thani Alban de Mieulle (Qatar), Olivier Peslier Soft, 1.55.77

2016

Al Mourtajez

Al Shaqab Racing Thomas Fourcy (France), Julien Augé Good to Firm, 1.43.54

2015

Sir Bani Yas

HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan

Suc. Jean-Francois Bernard (France), Jean-Bernard Eyquem

Good to Firm, 1.46.35

Wednesday 31st July 2019Qatar Goodwood Festival

2019 Equine Creative Media in association with the Arabian Racing Organisation