HIS Excellency Patrick Hennessy, the Irish Ambassador to the UAE, paid a special visit to Doha last Friday to attend the races and present the trophy for the Irish Thoroughbred Marketing Cup, a local Group 2 race with a prize fund of US$200,000. Of this $114,000 went to the winner, while the fifth finisher collected $8,000.

There simply could not have been a better vehicle to promote Ireland, Irish racing and Irish breeding than the field of 16 that gathered at the start. Aidan O’Brien had his first ever runner in Qatar with Cougar Mountain, partnered by the trainer’s son Donnacha. No fewer than 11 of the 16 runners were bred in Ireland, and they included the first three past the post.