The second phase of the annual Purebred Arabian Camel Racing Festival, held under the patronage of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, starts on Thursday at Al Shahaniyah Racetrack.The event, organised by the Camel Racing Organising Committee, features a total of 38 races for Thanaya camels (four-year-olds) — both female (Bakar) and male (Qadaan) — over a distance of 8km, spread across morning and afternoon sessions.The morning session, starting at 5:30am, includes 22 races, with 12 races dedicated to Thanaya Bakar and 10 to Thanaya Qadaan. Among these, two races in each category are designated for general production camels, and two for Qatari production camels. Substantial financial prizes are allocated for the top 10 finishers in each race. In the Thanaya Bakar races, the first-place winner will receive QR150,000, with prizes decreasing to QR4,000 for the 10th place. For the Thanaya Qadaan races, the winner receives QR120,000, also decreasing to QR4,000 for 10th place.In the afternoon session, beginning at 1pm, the excitement intensifies with six main races for the coveted silver Shalfa and silver Daggers. The first main race for Thanaya Bakar (Open category) will award QR1.5mn to the winner, while the second-place finisher receives QR800,000, the third QR400,000, the fourth QR200,000, and the fifth QR100,000. The second main race, for Thanaya Bakar Omaniyat, carries the same prize structure, as does the third main race, designated for Thanaya Bakar Production.For the Thanaya Qadaan main races, the first race in the Open category offers a QR1mn prize for first place, followed by QR600,000 for second, QR300,000 for third, QR200,000 for fourth, and QR100,000 for fifth. The second race for Thanaya Qadaan Omaniyat and the third for Thanaya Qadaan Production both follow this same prize format.After the conclusion of the six symbol races, the afternoon session continues with 10 more races for Thanaya Bakar and Qadaan, all offering valuable cash prizes. The first-place prize for the Thanaya Bakar Omaniyat race is QR250,000, while the Thanaya Qadaan Omaniyat winner receives QR200,000. The other races in the session offer first-place prizes ranging from QR350,000 to QR180,000 and QR150,000, with awards down to QR6,000 for the 10th place.Al Shaqab and Um Al Zubar shine bright in opening battlesOn Wednesday, the open Jidhan challenges for the prestigious golden symbols allocated to the camel racing teams of Their Highnesses and Excellencies the Sheikhs were held in a traditional evening as part of the grand annual festival for the Sword of His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani.Al Shaqab Camels and Al Ryaisa Camels delivered an exciting performance, displaying fierce competition in the two main open races for female and male camels. Al Shaqab secured the most prestigious trophy of the night by winning the Golden Shalfa for the Open Jidhan Female race (first main round). Meanwhile, Al Ryaisa Camels, bearing their powerful red emblem, claimed the strongest male camel symbol, taking home the Golden Dagger for the Open Jidhan Male race.The standout of the evening and the surprise of the festival so far was Um Al Zubar Camels, which delivered a unique and thrilling performance thanks to their strong lineup this season. They claimed both symbols in the races designated for Omani-bred camels (female and male), affirming their dominance over competitors in this grand annual festival. These two new trophies add to the two symbols they had already won in the Laqaya challenges the day before, bringing their total to four out of eight symbols. Al Shaqab now holds three symbols, while Al Ryaisa Camels have claimed their first.In the first main race for Open Jidhan Female Camels, both Al Shaqab and Al Ryaisa Camels fielded their strongest contenders, alongside Um Al Zubar, Zabeel Camels, and other top teams. The race came down to a thrilling finish between the two giants, Al Shaqab and Al Ryaisa Camels. In the final moments, “Doha”, led by the skilled trainer Jarallah Mohammed bin Aqeel, surged ahead to secure victory in the most competitive race of the evening, winning the coveted Golden Shalfa in 9:03.47 minutes. Close behind was “Kahal” of Al Ryaisa Camels, trained by Hamdan Mohamed bin Marweshid in 9:04.17 minutes.In the second main race for Open Jidhan Male Camels, Al Ryaisa Camels came back strong after their earlier miss, and the red-emblemed team made its mark by winning its first symbol of the festival. They dominated the race with a triple front-run, and “Lahab”, led by trainer Hamdan Mohammed Marweshid, secured the prized Golden Dagger with a time of 9:07.73 minutes.Um Al Zubar Shines with “Amaal” and “Al Adeed”Um Al Zubar Camels dazzled in the third and fourth races designated for Omani-bred camels. The powerhouse team turned the competition on its head and claimed the two precious trophies through “Amaal” and “Al Adeed”, under the guidance of seasoned trainers Mohammed Bakhit bin Maqarah and Zaid Mohsen Ali Andilah al-Marri.“Amaal” delivered a stellar performance in the third main race, taking an early lead and flying to victory with the Golden Shalfa for Omani-bred Jidhan Female Camels, clocking 9:13.01 minutes. “Al Adeed” added the second trophy for Um Al Zubar and the fourth overall for the team in the festival, beating out Al Shaqab in a dominant race to claim the Golden Dagger in 9:14.77 minutes.311 Camels in the Morning Jidhan RacesThe morning session of the grand annual festival featured 17 open Jidhan races over a 6km distance, with 311 camels participating. Al Ryaisa Camels delivered an exciting show in both the main female and male races under different trainers.In the main female race, Al Ryaisa Camels’ “Mutaiba”, guided by trainer Sultan bin Mohammed al-Wuhaibi, gave a stunning performance and won the top prize of QR150,000, completing the race in 9:07.51 minutes. The same team’s “Al Tayara” and “Mar’ousha” came in second and third, respectively.In the main male race, Al Ryaisa Camels claimed another win with “Sarab”, trained by Mohammed Atiq bin Zaytoun al-Muhairi, finishing in 9:09.27 minutes. “Al Ghazal” of Al Shaqab, led by Jaber bin Salem Faran al-Marri, came in second with 9:10.34 minutes, while “Mutaib” of Al Ryaisa Camels, under Ali bin Jamil al-Wuhaibi, took third place with 9:11.07 minutes.