Unveiling of Prix l’Arc de Triomphe Trophy
On the third and forth of October 2009, the entire horse racing community will have their attention turned to the prestigious Qatar Prix l’Arc de Triomphe weekend, where sixteen thoroughbred horse races will the held. Longchamp Racecourse in Paris will once again stage a horse racing extravaganza that will lure the best equine athletes from across the globe and with millions of euros in purse money, it is one of the most anticipated events on the racing calendar. And to celebrate its eighty eight year of racing, a new trophy has been revealed that has been designed specifically for this years’ event.
The Prix l’Arc de Triomph was inaugurated in 1920 and is a horse racing event for three year old horses and older. It is run over a distance of two thousand five hundred meters and previous winners include Mill Reef and Sea Bird. Last year, Zarkava joined the short and distinguished list of fillies to win this event. With a purse of four million euros, the Prix l’Arc de Triomph is not an event that can be passed up. Through an initiative set in motion by HH Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa al-Thani, a new trophy has been designed and recently unveiled for the 2009 Qatar Prix l’Arc de Triomph.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Faleh al-Thani, general supervisor of the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club, as well as Jean-Pierre de Gaste (French Arabian Horse Racing Association) and Hubert Monzat (France Galop), were present at the unveiling ceremony. The designing of the trophy was given to students at the Virginia Commonwealth University as a contest project, and the winning design was brought to life as the new trophy. The ceremony was also used as an opportunity to thank sponsors for their support and to highlight that the horse racing industry in France, directly and indirectly creates more than a hundred and thirty thousands jobs. These jobs are either within the horse racing community or in related industries. Over and above a large purse amount, contenders and their connections will now have a brand new shiny trophy to strive towards, and the honor of being the new Prix l’Arc de Triomphe champion.
