The President Of The UAE Cup - Coupe d'Europe des Chevaux Arabes launches the season of major Purebred Arabian races in Europe

Press release                                                                           Friday, May 8, 2026

Sunday, 10 May 2026, ParisLongchamp

The President Of The UAE Cup - Coupe d'Europe des Chevaux Arabes launches the season of major Purebred Arabian races in Europe

This Group 1 is the first of the European season for Purebred Arabians, following a short break after the winter contests in the Gulf, mainly in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Most of the best older horses have flown in to take up their summer quarters on the Old Continent, where they have a well-established programme, focused primarily on France.

The President Of The UAE Cup - Coupe d'Europe des Chevaux Arabes (Gr1 PA) is run over 2,000 metres, the benchmark distance for Purebred Arabians in France and around the world. This 2,000-metre course at ParisLongchamp also hosts the Qatar Arabian World Cup (Group 1) in October, the most valuable race on the European programme, held on the same day as the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

8 runners : LIST

Quotes from connections

Xavier Thomas-Demeaulte, trainer of Lacaro du Croate - Mont-de-Marsan Training Centre (40)

“The fillies will be facing a very strong field of males on Sunday, in particular Lippo de Carrère, RB Kingmaker and Moneer. Lacaro du Croate is a good mare. And she has plenty of work behind her. My only reservation concerns the state of the ground. She does not like heavy ground. But she will have the stable jockey [Guillaume Guedj-Gay, editor’s note] on board, and he is in flying form at the moment.”

Helal Alalawi, owner of RB Kingmaker - United Arab Emirates

“We are very pleased with the horse’s condition ahead of this race. Group 1 PA races are always highly competitive, but we believe he has the class, experience and quality required to perform at the highest level.

As for the state of the ground, we believe it should suit him perfectly, especially as he has already proven his aptitude on a similar surface when finishing second to Al Ghadeer in the Qatar Arabian World Cup in 2024. That placing gives us confidence, and we hope he can produce another major performance on Sunday.”

Thomas Fourcy, trainer of Al Theeb, HM Majdallah and Hajmah - Royan Training Centre (17)

“Hajmah benefited from her comeback run and has come on in condition. This Coupe d’Europe is her first target. But we will still have to beat rivals of the calibre of Lippo de Carrère, who keeps improving, as well as Moneer. There will therefore be some serious contenders, and this time we will no longer be facing only females. We will see whether it is possible to beat the males.

I am also running Al Theeb, who was eliminated at Toulouse on 19 April and therefore could not make his seasonal return. He has not run since Doncaster last summer. It is a real challenge, but he has been prepared accordingly. We will watch how he runs.

HM Majdallah won well last time out. He is at his peak and looks magnificent. That said, he did not beat opposition of the same level as the field he will face on Sunday. He is moving up a real step in class. But as a three-year-old, he showed some very good form. After that, he went to Saudi Arabia and did not race much. He lacks experience at this level, but he is a good horse.”