Al Shaqab Racing has been on impressive form this year

‘Next year will be very important for us, we hope to see the results from our breeding programme. We have around 80 mares already in foal this year. Next year we will have around 110 so we are focusing on the breeding side. It is very important to us’

Al Shaqab Racing has been on cracking form this year with an impressive eight Group 1 wins among its 21 wins to date.
For General Manager Khalifa al-Attiyah, these are pleasing results but he is always looking at the bigger picture and working towards fulfilling the goals of Al Shaqab founder and owner HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad al-Thani.
Gulf Times caught up with al-Attiyah at the Berkeley Hotel in London during a break in his busy schedule while attending the Tattersalls’ sales.
He spoke about the importance of developing homebred horses and pointed to the success of Doha Dream as an indicator of future hopes. Doha Dream won the 200,000 euros Qatar Prix Chaudenay Group 2 3000m race for three-year-olds at the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe weekend in France earlier this month.
“Doha Dream is our first Group winner from our Haras de Bouquetot stud farm in Normandy. Next year will be very important for us, we hope to see the results from our breeding programme. We have around 80 mares already in foal this year. Next year we will have around 110 so we are focusing on the breeding side. It is very important to us,” he said.
Al-Attiyah spends the month of August in Normandy and visits regularly when he is in France. The US is also seen as important to Al Shaqab in terms of its breeding programme.
“America is one of the main places we are focusing on; we are sending five mares to breed in America this year to start our breeding operation there in Kentucky,” he added.
On the track he singled out Galileo Gold’s April victory as a major highlight. “The 2000 Guineas win this year was exceptional for us when Galileo Gold won the QIPCO 2000 Guineas Stake at Newmarket,” he said.
Asked about the rivalry between Al Shaqab and Godolphin, al-Attiyah said: “We have very good relations with Godolphin – with Sheikh Mohamed himself. We are friendly competitors. But of course we all want to win!”
Al-Attiyah has high regard for Frankie Dettori who has had an incredible career renaissance with Al Shaqab. “Frankie Dettori is always smiling—I saw him just the other day. It’s good to see leading trainers like John Gosden supporting him,” he said.
He also greatly values Racing Manager Harry Herbert. “Harry Herbert has helped us a lot this season—including building our relations with British racing,” he said.
Gulf Times spoke to Herbert to get his take on the journey to date and future plans. “Sheikh Joaan wants to race horses at the highest level and to be represented on the international stage as much as possible. That is the ambition of Al Shaqab,” he said.
“We won our first Classic race this year when Galileo Gold won the 2000 Guineas which was a wonderful achievement. Then there were the Group 1 winning milers in France, Zelzal, and horses like Mehmas winning multiple Group races.
“We have just seen our first home bred Group winner in France—and we also had a Group 1 winner in America, Ectot, and Shalaa had a Group race victory at Ascot. Winning in three countries is very exciting.
“There was also a terrific showing at Goodwood with Mehmas winning the Richmond Stakes and Al Jazi winning his Group 3, and Galileo Gold finishing second in the Sussex Stakes.”
He credits the attitude of the Al Shaqab team as being a big factor in the success. “There is a very good team in place; they are enthusiastic and positive. I have through my experience in racing come to believe that this positivity is very important,” he commented.
On the up and coming breeding operation, he noted: “Al Shaqab has invested in yearlings and proven horses; the mix of the two has been very successful as we have seen from horses like Treve, Toronado, Olympic Glory and Galileo Gold as well as horses such as Shalaa, a yearling purchase and one of the leading two-year-olds in Europe last year.
“Now we are seeing homebred horses making their mark such as Doha Dream who won a Group 2 race in France on Arc weekend.
“This demonstrates that Sheikh Joaan’s Bouquetot stud farm in Normandy is coming on tap. Getting a successful breeding operation going takes time. It doesn’t just happen overnight.
“The stud farm has got off to a great start and I have no doubt will become a real force in the world of breeding thoroughbreds in the days to come. You need good fortune in these things but you have to make your own luck as well. I think it’s been an unbelievable start for Al Shaqab which is widely recognised in the racing industry,” Herbert observed.
It is sometimes easy to forget that Al Shaqab was only formed in 2013. Herbert gave his view on its impact:
“I think the engagement of Al Shaqab
is seen as very positive and is welcomed by the British racing industry and by the French.
“I think everyone has seen that Sheikh Joaan hasn’t just come with his cheque book to buy horses – which is very good for British, Irish and French breeders – he has also supported racing here. There is the Al Shaqab Lockinge Day at Newbury; the prize money has been boosted significantly and there are huge crowds and a great atmosphere.
“There is also Qatar’s sponsorship of all five days of Glorious Goodwood, now called the Qatar Goodwood Festival. Qatar working with Lord March over the five days of Glorious Goodwood, a unique British brand in its own right, has been very positive and a great success,” he said.
At the end of the interview with Khalifa al-Attiyah, Gulf Times could not resist asking for a few pointers on horses to watch out for. He obliged with the name of a promising filly: “I am very impressed at the moment with the two-year-old filly Al Johrah. She is Al Shaqab owned and bred.
“We are looking forward to seeing what she does next year. She had a good run at Ascot this summer, coming second. We have big hopes from her.”