DOHA: The second edition of the four-day Al Shaqab International Arabian Horse Show kicked off at the Longines Indoor Arena at Al Shaqab yesterday. The show, supported by the Social and Sports Activities Support Fund (Daam), is witnessing the participation of 285 horses, including 63 from GCC countries. The qualifying rounds for the finals of Filly Foals (A1, and B1) were held yesterday, followed by the qualifiers for newborn colts, and then concluded with qualifiers for Yearling Fillies (A3, and B3).

The championship will continue today with the qualifiers for 2 and 3-year-old fillies and the 1-2-3-year-old colts. The championship has added a new round called: “The Newborns”, and it will also serve as a qualifier for prestigious events such as the World Horse Beauty Championship, Katara Festival and the Global Champions Tour. Saif Al Nuaimi, Deputy Executive Director of Al Shaqab, praised the large participation in the second edition of the championship, noting that the competition was strong on its first day, adding that the championship is one of the major shows in the region and in this edition it is witnessing a large increase in the number of participating horses from within and outside Qatar, as the horses compete for valuable prizes.

For his part, Sheikh Hamad bin Ali Al Thani, owner of Mudhar Stud, expressed his delight with the results achieved by his stud horses on the first day and praised the large participation of the major studs from Qatar and GCC countries.