14 July, Bastille Day – Similar to the USA, 4th of July, the Fête de la Fédération on 14 July 1790 was a celebration of the unity of the French nation during the French Revolution. The aim of this celebration, one year after the Storming of the Bastille, was to symbolise peace. The event took…
Article by Louise Parks for FEI – 6 July 2020 Not too many people have been to 17 Olympic Games in their lifetime, but retired British journalist Alan Smith most certainly has. In a career that spanned 48 years he reported on no less than nine Summer and eight Winter Games along with all the…
5 July 2020, Chantilly, France ~ The Group 1 Qatar Derby for 4-year-old Pure Arabians is one of the major races in the European Arabian racing calendar. The 2020 renewal of the Qatar Racing & Equestrian Club (QREC)-sponsored event was run at Chantilly on Sunday, 5 July. This race, in a normal year, would have…
26 June 2020, Lausanne, SUI ~ A virtual Board Meeting of the FEI was held from 23-25 June 2020 due to the dangers of travel communication during the COVID-19 Pandemic. The main discussions, Finance, Cancellations and Championships during the FEI Board Meeting video conference days (23-25 June) are summarized here. 23 June 2020 ~ The…
25 June 2020, Dubai, UAE ~ The fixture list of the 2020-21 UAE racing season has been approved by His Highness Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE, Minister of Presidential Affairs and Chairman of Emirates Racing Authority (ERA). HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed said: “We are pleased to announce…
25 June 2020, UK ~ Goodwood Racecourse has confirmed the prize money for the 2020 Qatar Goodwood Festival. The Sussex course’s most prestigious meeting, which this year will start with Stradivarius’s attempt to win a record fourth Goodwood Cup on July 28th, will offer a total prize fund of just over £2,300,000 across the five…
24 June 2020, UK ~ The Arabian Racing Organisation (ARO) have confirmed that the Qatar International Stakes will go ahead as part of the Qatar Goodwood Festival 2020 on the rescheduled date of Saturday, 1 August. Held over a mile on the historic Sussex Downs, the Group 1 PA contest forms the first stage of…
23 June 2020, Lausanne (SUI) ~ The Longines FEI Endurance World Championships 2020 have been postponed until May 2021 due to the ongoing impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on equestrian sport. The decision to postpone comes following agreement between the FEI, the Italian National Federation and the Organisers in Pisa. The Championships were due to…
16 June 2020, California – In a lengthy TeleConference meeting on 11 June 2020, the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) approved the California horse racing dates which include the dates for Arabian racing already confirmed by the California Authority of Racing Fairs (CARF). The COVID-19 risk to health has instigated some compromised race dates and…