25 February 2015, Doha ~ Qatar’s two most prestigious races for Thoroughbreds and Purebred Arabians will be broadcast in the UK for the first time this week by leading dedicated satellite horseracing  broadcaster, Racing UK.

The Group 1 contests which provide the finale to the H.H The Emir 24th International Equestrian Sword Festival will form part of the channel’s broadcast of live racing from Ludlow and Meydan this Thursday, 26 February.

Viewers will have the chance to see Frankie Dettori partner Dubday, running in the colors of Al Shaqab Racing, in the stable’s bid to have the first horse in a decade to win back-to-back runnings of the H.H The Emir’s Trophy (3.30 p.m.), a 1200M contest on Turf for Thoroughbreds three-years-old and over and worth QR 1.9 million (Euro 460,000).

The H.H The Emir’s Sword (4.00 p.m.) for Purebred Arabians aged four-year-olds and over is the final race of the three-day meeting in which Dettori rides Farh, one of two runners in the ownership of Al Shaqab Racing and bidding to deny local trainer Julian Smart his fourth win in the race in five years and a share of the QR 2.9 million prize.

Qatar Racing & Equestrian Club Chairman H.E Sheikh Mohamed Bin Faleh Al Thani said, “This represents an important step in the international promotion of racing in Qatar and we are delighted to have the opportunity to showcase our most important races to Racing UK’s audience of racing professionals and enthusiasts.”

Seb Vance, Racing UK Director of PR & Communications said, “We are looking forward to broadcasting racing from Qatar for the first time and the timing of the two Group 1s fits well with our programming schedule.

“Many of the UK’s most important races that we will be covering this year will benefit from Qatar’s support and we are pleased that subscribers will have the opportunity to see Qatar’s two most important contests.

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