POLSKA AKF’S ARABIAN STARS

POLSKA AKF’S

ARABIAN STARS

PHOTOS: SŁUŻEWIEC RACECOURSE

Interview with Hubert Kulesza, General Manager at Al Khalediah Poland (Polska AKF Sp. z o.o.)

The last racing weekend at the Służewiec Racecourse is now over. What was this season like for Al Khalediah Poland?

Let me answer this question from two standpoints - as a racing stable that has been a leader for several years and also as an entity that has been supporting the development of Arabian horse breeding in Poland for several years.

The season was successful, even very successful, though not as successful as last year when we had 50 victories (46 in Poland and 4 abroad). This time our horses achieved 28 wins. Moreover, we were able to show our strengths at European racetracks, especially in Sweden, where Rasmy Al Khalediah won Listed races twice. Another big success came when Amwaj Al Khalediah won a G3 „pattern” race in Rome. These are really great achievements, which show that horses trained in Poland, in this case by trainers Janusz Kozłowski and Maciej Kacprzyk, can reach for the highest trophies in Europe. We should also note a very good performance of Mayar Al Khalediah and Dary Al Khalediah, trained by Michał Borkowski and Bartosz Głowacki, in the Qatar Arabian Derby (G1) in Chantilly, France. Though they did not manage to win, the 4th and 5th place in this prestigious and demanding race was considered a remarkable achievement and even a surprise in Poland.

What I will remember for a long time when it comes to battles at Służewiec are a phenomenal performance of Amwaj Al Khalediah in the Europe Cup, the only G3 race in Poland, the victory of Rasma Al Khalediah in the Al Khalediah Poland Cup (Listed) and a spectacular victory in the Tiwaiqa Award - Central European Arabian Derby, where our stable’s horses took the first three places. However, there were also some bitter moments and times of disappointment, such as the loss of the Presi-

dent Cup Comparative Stakes, where many of our horses failed to defeat Wielki Dakris, who was phenomenal towards the end of the season. This race proved that we are also able to breed Arabian horses in Poland, which can successfully compete with horses from renowned foreign stables. To sum up, I am most pleased with the results achieved in pattern races, such as Rasma Al Khalediah’s three victories in Listed races and Amwaj Al Khalediah’s two triumphs in G3 races.

This year Al Khalediah Poland offered a new sponsorship project, Al Khalediah Arabian Racing Festival, which included three big races - Al Khalediah Poland Cup, Tiwaiq Central European Arabian Derby, Białka Stakes - Al Khalediah Colts and Fillies Trophy and six races of lower rank. From your perspective, have all the objectives that you and the Management Board set been achieved?

We can definitely say that the basic objectives have been met and that there has been some success. This is the first major Al Khalediah project of this size outside the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where we added eight more races to the Al Khalediah Poland Cup, which has been held since 2014. Do note that owing to prize pools of about EUR 30,000, we have entered the top league in Europe, and that the additional two races supported by the government of the United Arab Emirates - namely the Europe Cup and the Comparative - bring us close to Sweden or Italy, which until recently were out of our reach. I am a bit disappointed that this year we did not manage to see our horses compete with foreign guests, but they must have been aware of the high level of Arabian horse racing in Poland, so perhaps costs were a decisive factor.