Amir Sword Festival to be held with new identity

The Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club (QREC) on Tuesday announced full readiness along with the club’s new identity for HH The Amir Sword Festival 2024, which will be held from February 15-17 at the Al Rayyan Racecourse.
A group of new partners were also revealed for the festival in order to ensure the success of the prestigious event and its emergence befitting the global status that Qatari horse racing has achieved.
Issa bin Mohamed al-Mohannadi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of QREC, addressed the media and club members and horse owners at the club’s headquarters about the preparations for HH The Amir Sword Festival 2024, along with Bader Mohamed al-Darwish, Acting CEO of the club; Abdullah Rashid al-Kubaisi, QREC’s Racing Manager; and Salem Khajim al-Athbi, Director of Public Relations, Marketing
and Communications Department; in addition to representatives of the partners sponsoring the festival.
Al-Mohannadi stressed on the club’s readiness to host the prestigious festival, which is QREC’s largest and most important event of the season. He said: “All arrangements related to the festival have been completed, whether in terms of entries of international horses or other arrangements. I confirm that the festival will be a major carnival for Qatari and international equestrianism, in a manner befitting the status reached by Qatari horse racing.”
Regarding the new identity of the club and the festival, al-Mohannadi said: “The club’s name in Arabic has now been made synonymous with name in English. Also, there is a new identity for the festival, which is linked primarily to Qatari heritage through the “ghutra” or “shawl” that reflects and consolidates the heritage and inheritance of the State of Qatar, which we cherish in addition to the symbolism it aims to achieve through its association with the “Al Sabiq” heritage championship, which is held with every major event of the club. We view the Al Sabiq championship as the origin of horse racing in Qatar during which the riders wear the ‘Al Ghatra’.”
The new identity logo of the festival has a shot of raising one’s pride to the top which appears as an expression of the start. Likewise, the “Al Sabiq” championship is in the interest of developing the riders and raising their level. A number of the riders who are participating in the “Al Sabiq” championship were selected and they participate as horsemen in the club’s track races and this is a great gain for the club as part of the Board of Directors’ endeavour to develop horsemen and expand the base of their participants in races, and even qualify them to participate in external races on the largest tracks in the world, explained al-Mohannadi.
Providing details of partnership agreements with sponsors, al-Mohannadi said: “We have signed partnership contracts with Communications, Socast, Snoonu and Wemec, and we have strategic relationships in order to contribute to the success of the races and events organized by QREC.”
Bader Mohamed al-Darwish, Acting CEO of QREC, said: “Announcing the partners is an important step for us on the path to organising the festival, given that the club is keen to reach the best level of success and come out with this year’s edition of the most expensive festival in a manner most appropriate. We have support from the officials and also the sponsors who have been with us from the very beginning and participate in sponsoring the major stages of the festival and have a role with us in achieving the desired goal at this great festival.”
He said: “The festival is held over three days and on each day there are a strong group of races. On the final day, we will look forward to six international races with participation of horses from abroad. This adds to raising the level and strength of the competition to top each race, in the order in which they are held: The Irish Thoroughbred Marketing Cup, second category, for purebred Arabian horses, the Qatar International Cup, first category for purebred Arabian horses, and the Dukhan Speed Cup, third category for purebred Arabian horses. Sponsored by the Breeders’ Cup, the Al Rayyan Mile from the second category of purebred horses, HH The Amir’s Trophy from the first category for purebred horses, and the HH The Amir’s Sword from the first category for purebred Arabian horses.”
Providing technical details of the festival, Abdullah Rashid al-Kubaisi said: “A large group of races will be held every day and the final day includes the two most important races, which are His Highness the Amir’s Trophy and His Highness the Amir’s Sword race, and there is a large participation.
“For the Golden Saif race, there is Al Ghadeer, the king of Al Shaqab Racing, considered the favourite to win the sword, along with the Abbes of Wathnan Racing. The competition between them will be great as Al Ghadeer will strive to win the sword to complete a triple crown which the horse that wins the summit races gets - The Qatar International Stakes race at Goodwood in United Kingdom, the Qatar World Cup for Purebred Arabian Horses in France, and the Sword of His Highness the Amir at the most prestigious festival. Ebraz had previously won the triple crown several years ago.”