Beshtani, a four-year-old bay gelding horse, is set to compete at the Ascot’s Royal Hunt Cup race.

Hamad Al Jehani, a former member of Qatar’s national show jumping team turned horse trainer, is preparing to saddle one of his first runners at this year’s Royal Ascot competition.

Beshtani, a four-year-old bay gelding horse owned by Qatar’s Wathnan Racing company and trained by Al Jehani, is slated to gallop against the competition at the Ascot’s one-mile (1,609 metres) Royal Hunt Cup race next Wednesday.

Earlier in May, Al Jehani’s training efforts shone during his first appearance at Surrey’s Epsom racecourse last month when Beshtani glided into second place – bagging the £18,127.50 prize.

“[Beshtani] surprised me how he challenged the winner to the line and be beaten [by] just a small head… He ran very well and he’ll hopefully go to Royal Ascot next for the Hunt Cup,” the Qatari trainer said at the time.

Richard Brown, Wathnan’s racing adviser, believes the momentum from Epsom will serve Al Jehani well at Ascot. “Hamad has obviously made a very good start and Beshtani running as he did at Epsom was a very good training performance,” Brown remarked.

Al Jehani has also entered Beshtani’s stablemate, a four-year-old grey gelding called Make Me King, at the Royal Hunt race.  However, reports indicate he is more likely to run in the Buckingham Palace Stakes race.

How else will Qatar be represented on the Ascot stage?

Enthusiasts of the equestrian world have earmarked June 18 until 22 in the social calendars for this year’s Royal Ascot races. The coveted event draws attendees from across the British Isles and overseas to take part in or observe the event. 

Aside from Wathnan’s Beshtani and Make Me King, an array of Qatari-owned horses will compete at Ascot this year.

Four horses owned by Qatar Racing are entered for the Group 1 and Earl-Closing Group 2 competitions. This includes Siege of Troy, a three-year-old bay filly, who will compete in the Ribblesdale Stakes (Class 1) race and Evade, a three-year-old bay colt, who will be running at the Commonwealth Cup race.  

Sword, who is co-owned by Qatar Racing and David Howden, will be competing in the St. James Palace Stakes race. Another horse, Middle Earth, is co-owned by Qatar Racing and Ciaron Maher and will race at the Hardwick Stakes.

Other horses owned by Qatar’s Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Thani, as well as those from Al Shaqab Racing and Wathnan’s Courage Mon Ami, are set to participate.

Since 2003, Ascot reports that as many as 220 runners from ten countries, including Qatar, have competed in their races.