Arabian Weekly report

RIYADH — Prince Bandar Bin Khalid Al-Faisal, chairman of the board of directors of the Equestrian Authority and the Horse Racing Club, patronized the concluding session of the second edition of the Kingdom’s International Championship for the Purebred Arabian Horse Beauty (Kahila) and the Egyptian Horses here on Sunday evening.

The five-day event was held under the supervision of the King Abdulaziz Center for Purebred Arabian Horses at the Riyadh Front Exhibitions and Convention Center.

Prince Bandar distributed prizes to the winners of the championship. He also honored the participants, sponsors of the championship, and members of the arbitration and discipline committees.

The winners included the categories of the separate championships for purebred Arabian horses such as fillies championship, mares championship, foal championship, championship for purebred Arabian horse of Saudi origin and the stallion championship.

Abdulaziz Al-Moqbel, director general of the center, thanked and appreciated Prince Bandar for the great and unlimited support provided by him for the horse championships of all kinds, including his honoring and sponsoring of the Kahila championship, and his financial support amounting to SR200,000 to the winners of the purebred Arabian horses of Saudi origin.

He also lauded the constant attention and follow-up from Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture Abdulrahman Al Fadley, who is also chairman of the Board of Directors of the King Abdulaziz Center for Purebred Arabian Horses, saying that this contributed significantly to the development of these tournaments.

Al-Muqbil said in a statement that this year’s championship witnessed the participation of more than 511 purebred Arabian horses from different countries of the world and this was the largest recorded in the number of horses participating in the international championships in the Kingdom.

He also praised the efforts made by the organizing committee to ensure the success of the tournament and its continuity over the coming years.

The championship was being held to showcase the pride in the history and heritage of the purebred Arabian horses. It highlighted the significance of this ancient sport and the Kingdom’s efforts to advance it in local and international forums.

The championship is regarded as one of the most important Arabian horse championships in the region, which came in honor of the horse of King Abdulaziz and the best gifts that he had presented to the kings of the world, such as the magnificent Arab steed called Kahila that he gifted to King George VI on the occasion of his coronation as the king of the United Kingdom, and the gift to the Queen of the Netherlands.