The upcoming Katara International Arabian Horse Festival will feature a total prize money of QR13mn, Qatar News Agency (QNA) reports.
Katara - the Cultural Village Foundation, under the patronage of His Highness the Amir, will organise the festival from February 2-6.
Dr Khalid bin Ibrahim al-Sulaiti, general manager of Katara and chairman of the Katara International Arabian Horse Festival organising committee, said: “The highlight of the festival will be a Title Show of purebred Arabians. As one of the world’s highest-ranked shows, only the finest horses will be eligible to participate. The event will feature a total prize money of QR13,000,000 and will be held for the first time at Katara - the Cultural Village Foundation."
The highly anticipated event is attracting international interest and global participation, according to Katara. Al Kass Sports Channels will be the media partner of this prestigious festival.
All precautionary measures are being put in place to ensure the safety of participants, officials and visitors, in accordance with the guidelines set by the Ministry of Public Health.
Bader Mohamed al-Darwish, manager of the Title Show, said: “While the Title Show commences on February 4, people can look forward to enjoying a diverse range of related fun activities at Katara from February 2."
The categories and prize money include the following: Yearling - QR250,000 will be awarded to the winner, while QR150,000 and QR100,000 will be given for the second and third places, respectively. In the Junior category (2-3 years), the prizes are QR800,000, QR430,000 and QR250,000 for the first, second and third places, respectively. The winner in the Senior category (four years and above) will get QR1,000,000 while the second and third place winners will receive QR600,000 and QR300,000, respectively.
Special prizes have also been allotted. A Senior horse that wins the Senior championship three times (three editions of the show) will earn the title of ‘Legend’; the horse will win QR3,000,000 on the third win. A prize will also be awarded to the horse that wins first place in all three categories; the winning horse will get QR2mn on his final Senior win. In addition, this award will be named after the first horse achieving such a victory.
Ali Yousef al-Rumaihi, deputy manager of the Title Show, added: “We have received a very good response to our call for participation. More than 300 horses have registered. This includes participants from various countries in the Gulf and Europe. Late registration will be open until January 14. This championship will be the most prestigious show of its kind.”
The organising committee will hold a press conference to reveal more details of the festival ahead of the event.
