H H The Amir Sword Festival 2026 set for Feb 11 as QREC unveils racing season

Doha, Qatar: The Qatar Racing Equestrian Club (QREC), chaired by Hamad bin Abdulrahman Al Attiyah, has unveiled its horse racing programme for the 2...

Doha, Qatar: The Qatar Racing & Equestrian Club (QREC), chaired by Hamad bin Abdulrahman Al-Attiyah, has unveiled its horse racing programme for the 2025–26 season, which will feature an extensive calendar of 70 meetings across Al Rayyan and Al Uqda racecourses.

The season’s schedule has been finalised following a comprehensive review, incorporating feedback from owners and trainers and drawing on the QREC’s internal technical reports. 

This season will introduce several firsts for QREC, most notably the expansion of the H H The Amir Sword Festival to four consecutive days at Al Rayyan Racecourse. 

The first two days will be run on dirt, with turf racing scheduled for the final two days. Across the four-day event, a total of 32 races will be staged – an unprecedented format. The season will also see an increase in the number of meetings and races overall.

Commenting on the new season’s programme, QREC Racing Manager Abdulla Al-Kubaisi (pictured), stated: “The season will commence on Wednesday, 15 October 2025, and conclude on Thursday, 16 April 2026. It includes 70 race meetings – 46 at Al Rayyan and 24 at Al Uqda – with a total of 547 races, up from originally 543 last season, which eventually rose to 556 last term after splitting and adding races based on demand and we may do the same again this season to ensure opportunities are available across all horse categories.”