HH SHEIKH HAMAD AL THANI PRESENTATION TO MARK 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF QIPCO BRITISH CHAMPIONS DAY

His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Abdullah Al Thani was this afternoon presented with a gift to commemorate the 10th anniversary of QIPCO British Champions Day which he and his brothers have sponsored via their company, QIPCO Holding, since 2011.

Sheikh Hamad was presented with a bespoke silver salver created by Asprey.

The salver commemorates a decade of champions for Sheikh Hamad, his family and the Qatar Racing team with engravings of five of their Group 1 winning horses who have all won QIPCO British Champions Series races since it first began in 2011.

They include Charm Spirit (Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, sponsored by QIPCO 2014); Simple Verse (St Leger and QIPCO British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes, 2015); Lightning Spear (Qatar Sussex Stakes, 2018); Roaring Lion (Coral-Eclipse; Juddmonte International; Queen Elizabeth II Stakes sponsored by QIPCO, 2018); and last year’s QIPCO 2,000 Guineas winner, Kameko.

Rod Street, Chief Executive of British Champions Series, said:

“We are tremendously grateful to Sheikh Hamad and his brothers for their long-standing and continued support of British Champions Series and Day.

“It is incredible to think that back in 2010, Great Britain did not have a flat racing season finale to rival the rest of the world. That QIPCO British Champions Day has established itself in such a short period of time as one of the finest racedays anywhere in the world, and the richest in the UK, is testament to the commitment of Sheikh Hamad, QIPCO and the whole Qatar Racing team for their vision and love of the sport.

“We are incredibly grateful to them for their support and delighted to be celebrating the 10th anniversary of QIPCO British Champions Day with them today.”

Sheikh Fahad (left) and Sheikh Hamad (centre) during the presentation (credit: Megan Ridgwell)