Doha: Horse racing enthusiasts around the world are turning their attention to the French capital, Paris, which is preparing to host the 105th edition of the Qatar Arc of Victory Grand Prix at the beginning of October at the Paris Longo, with the participation of a selection of the best horses and horses in the world.
First held in 1920, the race is one of the most prominent horse races in the world and has witnessed significant development since the launch of Qatar's sponsorship of it nearly 20 years ago.
The race will be held over two days with an estimated 35,000 spectators, as well as being televised to about 60 countries.
The race program includes 18 runs, including 10 Category One races, with a total prize money of €10 million, while the main run prize, the Qatar Arc of Victory Prize for Category One Thoroughbred Horses, is worth €5 million.
Paris Longchaux will be preceded by a series of events, with a horse auction held next Thursday at the Arcana Hall, while Saint-Cloud Racecourse will witness the Qatar Arabian Purebred Award and the Qatar Arabian Thoroughbred Award, the two races of which saw the victory of Al Shaqab Racing and Lavan of Al Wasmia Racing.
The opening ceremony will also be held on the same day at the Wagram Hall in Paris, and will include the draw of the horses participating in the Qatar Arc of Victory Award and the Qatar World Cup for Arabian Horses, in the presence of owners, trainers, horsemen and a number of prominent figures in the world of racing and the media, provided that the draw will be conducted electronically and the starting gates of the participating horses will be announced.
The accompanying events also include a march on the track next Sunday, during which the flags of the participating countries will be raised in the Qatar Arc of Victory Award, in addition to a village dedicated to the fans to learn about the cultures of the participating countries, as well as a horse march with the participation of a number of international names, including Japan's Yutaka Taki, Englishman Ryan Moore, Christophe Soumion, Maxime Guyon, Christian DeMoro and Mikael Barzalona.
All eyes will be on Dariz, last year's winner of the Qatar Arc de Triomphe Award, who is seeking to retain the title and achieve a feat that only eight horses have achieved in more than a century, including Trif in 2013 and 2014 and Enabler in 2017 and 2018.
Dariz enters the competition after recently winning the Qatar Foy Award, while the current list of entries for the Qatar Arc of Victory Award includes 73 horses, including Best Secret, Gaithen of Watanan Racing, and Alam of Al Shaqab Racing.
The participating horses will face an anticipated competition from Japanese horses seeking to achieve Japan's first victory in the race since its inception in 1969, along with the Irish attendees, including Qatar Jockey Club winner Constitution River and Diane Longine's Diamond Necklace.
The Qatar World Cup for Arabian Horses in the first category is receiving a lot of attention as part of the event's programme, as it has established its position as one of the most prominent Arabian horse races in the world, with Qatari horses winning the title 15 times out of 18 editions since its inception in 2008, while Al Ghadeer King of Al Shaqab Racing has won the title in the last three editions.
The current list of entries for the Cup includes 27 horses, and the final list will be announced next Thursday, and the list will witness a large Qatari presence through Al Shaqab Racing, Utnan Racing, Al Wasmia Racing and a number of Qatari owners, in an effort to continue the distinguished Qatari presence in the championship record.
