Qatari coup:Move over Godolphin,you have some serious compet
Mar 15, 2014 22:28:22 GMT -5
Post by Evelyn on Mar 15, 2014 22:28:22 GMT -5
Qatari coup
Move over Godolphin, you have some serious competition
By Amanda Duckworth | Special to ESPN
As I watched jockey Frankie Dettori do his trademark flying dismount, I was reminded yet again how small the racing world really can be. And how interesting things are getting on an international scale.
I witnessed his famed leap not in Europe or at the Breeders' Cup, but rather in Doha, Qatar, during the HH The Emir 23rd International Equestrian Sword Festival last week at the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club. The well-known jockey had just won Group 1 H.H. The Emir's Trophy aboard Dubday while wearing Al Shaqab Racing's new colors.
In doing so, Dettori had just scored his biggest victory since he was appointed retained rider for Sheikh Joaan Bin Hamad Al Thani.
If that name is starting to sound familiar, it should.
Sheikh Joaan has made a big splash on the international racing scene in recent years. Last year, his young stable's biggest victory came from the unbeaten filly Treve, who took the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Europe's biggest race has been sponsored by the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club since 2008, and that sponsorship will go on until at least 2022. Dettori was not on board that day due to a broken ankle.
A month later, the sheikh's name was on the lips of many in America after he added two-time Breeders' Cup champion Mizdirection to his broodmare band when he purchased her for $2.7 million.
Al Shaqab Racing also recently purchased Dubday, who may now head to Dubai. The form of the Emir's Trophy held up well last year when victor Very Nice Name went on to run third to St Nicholas Abbey in the Sheema Classic on the Dubai World Cup undercard.
"When Dubday put his head down and ran on for me, I knew he would catch the leader," said Dettori. "He is a decent stayer and if he goes to Dubai, he will not be disgraced. I'm so pleased for Sheikh Joaan because this was important for him, and for me."
For years, racing's two biggest international players from season to season have been Dubai's Goldophin and Ireland's Coolmore. In fact, Dettori was Godolphin's main rider for 18 years until they parted ways in October 2012. Both operations have the money and the horses to play on any of the world's biggest stages.
However, it is becoming clear that Sheikh Joaan wasn't playing when he announced an ambitious long-term investment in racing that aims to challenge the status quo.
In addition to retaining Dettori, he has added Harry Herbert, founder of the successful England-based Highclere Racing syndicate, to the team as his racing adviser. Incidentally, that is the same Highclere that has also gained attention for being the actual home featured in the fictional Downton Abbey.
Although Sheikh Joaan's involvement in Thoroughbred racing is relatively new, Al Shaqab is a well-established and highly respected operation for those familiar with the Arabian breed.
In fact, earlier during the festival, the operation's Wadee Al Shaqab clinched the title of the Senior Championship Stallion during the Qatar International Arabian Horse Show.
As part of the festival, there was also an open house at Al Shaqab, and the facilities there put most others around the world to shame. Sheikh Joaan's father founded the operation in 1992, and it is now the region's leading equine education resource center.
Both while visiting Al Shaqab, which takes its name from a historic battle against the Ottomans in 1893 that resulted in Qatar's independence, and while at the races a few days later, you couldn't help but realize that Qatar is a country on a mission.
While Sheikh Joaan's name may be the best known of the Qatari connections in the United States, he isn't alone. Far from it. For example, in 2012 Qatar was represented at the Breeders' Cup when Al Shahania's Flotilla won the Juvenile Fillies Turf. The filly runs for Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Thani, who is Sheikh Joaan's uncle.
One race after Dubday's victory in the Emir's Trophy, Al Shahania runners went 1-2-3 in the biggest Arabian race of the festival, the Group 1 H.H. The Emir's Sword.
Watching the two Group 1 races for different breeds be run back to back made me admire Qatar for its desire to be the pontifice that brings the two worlds together. Both races were treated with the respect big races deserve, even though they were for two different types of horses, and the winners of both understand both worlds.
It is unlikely Arabian racing will ever have the cache Thoroughbred racing has in America, but it is always fascinating to learn about something new, especially when it is something that is actually very old.
After spending a decent amount of time in the country's capital, Doha, it is clear the powers that be want Qatar to be known and respected on a global scale. Beyond racing, Qatar has made headlines, if controversially, by being named the host of soccer's 2022 World Cup.
In recent years, multiple members the royal family of Qatar have taken an interest in the Thoroughbred game, and they have taken an interest in a big way. Most of the focus has been in Europe, but America is also benefiting from this new blood.
Considering Qatar has been named the world's richest country by Forbes, this has to be considered a good thing for our sport.
If nothing else, it is shaking things up at the top, and that always makes things more interesting.
Move over Godolphin, you have some serious competition
By Amanda Duckworth | Special to ESPN
As I watched jockey Frankie Dettori do his trademark flying dismount, I was reminded yet again how small the racing world really can be. And how interesting things are getting on an international scale.
I witnessed his famed leap not in Europe or at the Breeders' Cup, but rather in Doha, Qatar, during the HH The Emir 23rd International Equestrian Sword Festival last week at the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club. The well-known jockey had just won Group 1 H.H. The Emir's Trophy aboard Dubday while wearing Al Shaqab Racing's new colors.
In doing so, Dettori had just scored his biggest victory since he was appointed retained rider for Sheikh Joaan Bin Hamad Al Thani.
If that name is starting to sound familiar, it should.
Sheikh Joaan has made a big splash on the international racing scene in recent years. Last year, his young stable's biggest victory came from the unbeaten filly Treve, who took the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Europe's biggest race has been sponsored by the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club since 2008, and that sponsorship will go on until at least 2022. Dettori was not on board that day due to a broken ankle.
A month later, the sheikh's name was on the lips of many in America after he added two-time Breeders' Cup champion Mizdirection to his broodmare band when he purchased her for $2.7 million.
Al Shaqab Racing also recently purchased Dubday, who may now head to Dubai. The form of the Emir's Trophy held up well last year when victor Very Nice Name went on to run third to St Nicholas Abbey in the Sheema Classic on the Dubai World Cup undercard.
"When Dubday put his head down and ran on for me, I knew he would catch the leader," said Dettori. "He is a decent stayer and if he goes to Dubai, he will not be disgraced. I'm so pleased for Sheikh Joaan because this was important for him, and for me."
For years, racing's two biggest international players from season to season have been Dubai's Goldophin and Ireland's Coolmore. In fact, Dettori was Godolphin's main rider for 18 years until they parted ways in October 2012. Both operations have the money and the horses to play on any of the world's biggest stages.
However, it is becoming clear that Sheikh Joaan wasn't playing when he announced an ambitious long-term investment in racing that aims to challenge the status quo.
In addition to retaining Dettori, he has added Harry Herbert, founder of the successful England-based Highclere Racing syndicate, to the team as his racing adviser. Incidentally, that is the same Highclere that has also gained attention for being the actual home featured in the fictional Downton Abbey.
Although Sheikh Joaan's involvement in Thoroughbred racing is relatively new, Al Shaqab is a well-established and highly respected operation for those familiar with the Arabian breed.
In fact, earlier during the festival, the operation's Wadee Al Shaqab clinched the title of the Senior Championship Stallion during the Qatar International Arabian Horse Show.
As part of the festival, there was also an open house at Al Shaqab, and the facilities there put most others around the world to shame. Sheikh Joaan's father founded the operation in 1992, and it is now the region's leading equine education resource center.
Both while visiting Al Shaqab, which takes its name from a historic battle against the Ottomans in 1893 that resulted in Qatar's independence, and while at the races a few days later, you couldn't help but realize that Qatar is a country on a mission.
While Sheikh Joaan's name may be the best known of the Qatari connections in the United States, he isn't alone. Far from it. For example, in 2012 Qatar was represented at the Breeders' Cup when Al Shahania's Flotilla won the Juvenile Fillies Turf. The filly runs for Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Thani, who is Sheikh Joaan's uncle.
One race after Dubday's victory in the Emir's Trophy, Al Shahania runners went 1-2-3 in the biggest Arabian race of the festival, the Group 1 H.H. The Emir's Sword.
Watching the two Group 1 races for different breeds be run back to back made me admire Qatar for its desire to be the pontifice that brings the two worlds together. Both races were treated with the respect big races deserve, even though they were for two different types of horses, and the winners of both understand both worlds.
It is unlikely Arabian racing will ever have the cache Thoroughbred racing has in America, but it is always fascinating to learn about something new, especially when it is something that is actually very old.
After spending a decent amount of time in the country's capital, Doha, it is clear the powers that be want Qatar to be known and respected on a global scale. Beyond racing, Qatar has made headlines, if controversially, by being named the host of soccer's 2022 World Cup.
In recent years, multiple members the royal family of Qatar have taken an interest in the Thoroughbred game, and they have taken an interest in a big way. Most of the focus has been in Europe, but America is also benefiting from this new blood.
Considering Qatar has been named the world's richest country by Forbes, this has to be considered a good thing for our sport.
If nothing else, it is shaking things up at the top, and that always makes things more interesting.
