WATHNAN Racing is the horse racing operation of Qatar’s Amir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and while the operation could be described as boutique when first bursting onto the British racing scene two years ago, there is little doubt that Sheikh Tamim’s vision is to marry quality with quantity in order to match his country’s growing influence in world politics.

But despite the immediate success that Wathnan Racing enjoyed in 2023, when a handful of recently-acquired horses saw victory in two of the meeting’s most prestigious contests, the man behind the operation remains something of a mystery to British racing fans.

On one level, we can imagine what impact Wathnan Racing will have at Royal Ascot – and by association, at other global race meetings – by looking at their record to date and their current entries.

Then we need to get an idea of what attracts Sheikh Tamim to British racing and finally to imagine how Wathnan Racing will slot into the racing scene in terms not only of anticipated success, but also in its relationship with racing’s hierarchy and media, as well as public perception.

It was just over two years ago that the ‘Old Gold and Peacock Blue’ colours of Wathnan Racing were first seen in Britain, and in the whole of the 2023 season, the operation had just 11 horses representing the operation.

Despite the small numbers, a number of private sales were made for horses with form in the book, and two of those horses won at Royal Ascot. Courage Mon Ami took the historic feature of the meeting, the Gold Cup, while Gregory landed the Queen’s Vase.

Excellent strike-rate

In 2024 Royal Ascot success came from Shareholder (Norfolk Stakes), Leovanni (Queen Mary), English Oak (Buckingham Palace Stakes) and Haatem (Jersey Stakes) to increase the number of winners if not the excellent strike-rate.

This year, many entries are yet to be made, but there are 20 Wathnan-owned horses engaged in the early-closing races at the Royal meeting, and the total number is sure to exceed last year’s total of 27 runners, and includes one of the few Group 1 winners to have carried the Wathnan livery in the shape of British Champions Sprint winner Kind Of Blue, who will attempt to bounce back from a poor return at Chantilly last week.

Leading bloodstock figure Richard Brown has been tasked with acquiring new talent and while the deals to buy Courage Mon Ami and Gregory were private, there have been big purchases at public sales, and the two-year-old team in particular is full of breeze-up talent hand-picked by Brown to represent Wathnan on the track.

We know that the firepower is there for Ascot, but while the equine talent is always on show, the Amir himself is rarely sighted and tends to keep a low profile – so far at least, so it will be interesting to see if he chooses to show himself at the big meeting.

He’s certainly not a stranger to British life and has the background which enables him to move seamlessly into the higher echelons of racing’s society.

Born in 1980, Sheikh Tamim was educated in the UK at Sherborne International School in Dorset and the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst; a Sandhurst education is common amongst Middle-East leaders, with Dubai’s Sheikh Mohammed and the current rulers of Oman, Jordan and Bahrain as well as Qatar all alumni of the academy, as indeed is Sheikh Tamim’s father, Sheikh Hamad, the “Father Amir”.

Those close ties with Britain, brought about by an education in England, will ensure that British and Irish racing will hold a particular captivation for the Amir, much as it has for Sheikh Mohammed and his family.

Sheikh Tamim took over as the ruler of Qatar in 2013 and, like his contemporary in Saudi Arabia, Mohammed Bin Salman, has a Vision 2030 project, which aims to transform Qatar into an advanced, sustainable society, with particular emphasis on sustainable development, economic diversification and the welfare, development and education of its citizens.

Flag-bearer

Qatar wants to be seen as a flag-bearer for modern economic development and social equality, and the Amir himself has this to say about Qatar’s future:

“The Qatar National Vision 2030 builds a bridge between the present and the future. It envisages a vibrant and prosperous country in which there is economic and social justice for all, and in which nature and man are in harmony.”

The concept of nature and man in harmony is strongly reflected in the vision for Wathnan Racing, which is a private venture for the Amir, but a potential charm offensive in its positioning at the heart of horse racing in the UK and globally.

It gives Qatar an opportunity to demonstrate not only its buying power in a rich man’s world, but to show the humbler ethos that an involvement in horse racing is first and foremost a celebration of the horse itself.

Wathnan itself is the name of a renowned stallion which holds a special place in the Al Thani family history, with the name meaning “crown of ears” and meant to be a tribute to the pricked ears of the stallion in question, a sign of nobility and intelligence.

The association also speaks of the importance of tradition, and the balance between modernity and tradition is a fine one for nations like Qatar and Saudi Arabia, who want to diversify on an international level while keeping sight of their own cultural identity.

Wathnan Racing is likely to reflect that approach, showing the Amir as a sportsman and world leader, playing on his dedication to excellence as well as his magnanimity in both victory and defeat.

The juxtaposition of Wathnan Racing as a global racing brand with the Amir of Qatar as a global leader of increasing importance symbolizes Qatar’s multifaceted aspirations - blending tradition with modernity and local pride with global ambition.

While Wathnan Racing elevates Qatar’s profile in the equestrian world, the Amir will hope that he can lay the foundation for the nation’s continued growth and influence.

We can expect Wathnan to branch into breeding as a natural transition, for all that area of the venture isn’t fully mapped out, and while I don’t think Wathnan will grow to rival Godolphin or Coolmore in the short term, we can expect to see the elite band of thoroughbreds under the Amir’s banner to grow in the coming years.

The importance of Qatar’s ambitions means there will be no skirting with controversy, and whether Sheikh Tamim wants to be the face of Wathnan or allow his hand-picked horsemen to occupy the limelight instead, there is no doubt that Wathnan Racing will become a carefully managed but highly influential power in the horse racing world.