The horse – humankind’s most steadfast and essential companion on our journey across time. The history of civilisation: impossible to imagine without being carried or pulled all the way by the ultimate four-hooved friend.
At Wathnan, we have a passion for horses, in all their spectacular variety. From thoroughbred racehorses – the longest documented breed of animal, derived in part, of course, from exported Arabians – to the fleetest of the pure-bred Arabians themselves. From dish-faced show stock, to the power-packed showjumpers, from polo ponies to desert Arabians, most akin to those which have populated the shifting dunes of this region for millenia.
Wathnan, in fact, is named after one such desert Arabian, a beloved stallion of Al Thani family folklore. He, in turn, was named for his kind and eager disposition – ‘wathnan’ can be translated as ‘a crown of ears’, referring to his pricked ears, the surest sign that a horse truly is your friend.
Since the finishing stitches were sewn into its first set of old gold and peacock blue racing silks in October 2022, Wathnan Racing’s rise to prominence has been as swift as its fastest horses.
First, it rapidly made an impact in Qatar – Wathnan Racing has been Champion owner in both seasons it has had runners, its greatest triumph that of the almost white Arabian stallion Abbes in HH The Amir’s Sword. Given the heritage of the Umm Qarn stable from which Wathnan grew, and for whom Abbes won the previous two runnings of Qatar’s greatest race, that might have been anticipated, if not expected.
But then came Wathnan’s first European challengers. And winning the biggest race at Royal Ascot, the meeting renowned as racing’s Olympics, and collecting the only trophy presented by the reigning British monarch just two days after its very first runner in the United Kingdom: that was breathtakingly special.
This, of course, in the country which didn’t just invent the sport but lays claim to having created the thoroughbred breed – and in a storied championship race first run in 1807. No wonder this was the moment the world’s sporting press needed to know – who or what is Wathnan Racing?
The victory of Courage Mon Ami in the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot stands as an unforgettable milestone. A year later, it was still the only Group 1 thoroughbred race – the mark of the world’s most fiercely competitive contests for jockey and horse – to have been won by Wathnan Racing. And not for want of trying. That’s how difficult it is to succeed at the pinnacle of this sport. It’s a challenge worthy of dedicated application which, nonetheless, repeatedly confounds even the most determined, able and abundantly endowed.
That’s the enduring, everlasting appeal of the sport of kings. Success sometimes comes quickly, but repeating the trick never comes easily.
Wathnan Racing is fortunate enough to have enjoyed more success at Royal Ascot in 2024. But victory here – much as it is desired – is not the only measure of success. Horseracing is, above all, a sport where the main protagonists are animals in our charge, whose spirit, power and elegance have beguiled for centuries, and beguile us still here at Wathnan.
The English thoroughbred has the longest documented history of any man-made species, the competitors in Wathnan’s distinctive silks following in the hoofprints of 25 generations or more of fellow thoroughbreds since the rules of racing were first codified by King Charles II.
Each racehorse we own connects Wathnan to that rich heritage. As a new custodian of this longest of sporting traditions, Wathnan Racing’s most lasting triumph might be advancing the breed to new levels of speed, endurance, bravery and exhilaration, for generations to come to enjoy and relish, as we do.
Because to us, the horses are the heroes.
