Horse racing fans around the globe have witnessed a remarkable moment in the sport’s history as trainer Hamad Al Jehani and jockey Faleh Bughenaim delivered a groundbreaking victory for Qatar in the Canadian International at Woodbine. This win, achieved in October 2025, not only marks a major milestone for the Qatari racing community but also underscores the growing international influence of Wathnan Racing, the dynamic operation owned by Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
The Canadian International, a Grade 1 event with a storied past, lived up to its global billing this year, hosting a field that included some of the world’s most accomplished racehorses and connections. Yet, few could have predicted that Silawi, a five-year-old gelding sent off at 10-1 and considered the second string behind stablemate Haunted Dream, would snatch victory in such dramatic fashion. For Al Jehani and Bughenaim, both relatively new faces on the international stage, this triumph signals a new era for Qatari involvement at the highest level of the sport.
“To help put Qatar in the international spotlight, that was the important thing about it for me,” explained Al Jehani, 36, who manages a string of 25 horses from his Newmarket base. “It was a great moment for everyone in the team, and for me as a Qatari trainer it was personally very special.”
Bughenaim’s journey to this historic win was as unexpected as the result itself. The 35-year-old jockey, a champion in his homeland of Qatar, was called up as a late replacement for the intended rider, Danny Tudhope, who was unable to travel from Britain. Although Bughenaim had only ridden Silawi once before—in Doha the previous year—he wasn’t initially impressed. “I had ridden him once before, in Doha last year, but I did not think much of him. He’s a big horse, has a big action, a big stride, I didn’t like him all that much. But now he gives me my first big Grade 1 race, he’s my favourite!” Bughenaim recounted with a laugh.
Silawi’s role in the race was widely debated beforehand. Many assumed he would simply set the pace for Haunted Dream, who had already delivered Al Jehani an international win in September by capturing the G3 Singspiel Stakes at Woodbine. But Bughenaim had other ideas. “He is a front-runner, but not a pacemaker,” he explained. “And although he is a big horse he was able to use the bends very well, to save ground, and I worked on that all the way around. And when I kicked with 700m to go, took a three-length advantage, I didn’t think I would get caught. He has a big heart, he keeps going, it’s not easy for another horse to catch him.”
His tactics paid off handsomely. Silawi surged to the front early and, despite a late charge from Tawny Port, clung on to win by a nose in a thrilling photo finish. The favored Nations Pride, last year’s Canadian International winner, finished third, while Haunted Dream faded to fifth. The victory was not only a personal milestone for Bughenaim but also set a new track record, further amplifying the significance of the achievement.
Al Jehani was quick to praise his jockey’s shrewd ride and the team’s collective effort. “It was a great race to watch, fighting hard to win in a photo-finish,” he said. “A big moment to celebrate, winning one of the historic races in the international calendar. I knew that my horses didn’t have the same level of form as Nations Pride, but I thought that if either one had the race run to suit they could have a big chance.”
This historic win has broader implications for Qatari racing. Wathnan Racing, under the guidance of Sheikh Tamim, has rapidly established itself as a global force, notching victories from Dubai to Toronto and beyond. The operation’s colors have already been carried to glory in the Dubai World Cup by Hit Show earlier this year, and the Canadian International win further cements their reputation for excellence on the world stage. Sheikh Tamim’s brother, Sheikh Joaan, leads the renowned Al Shaqab Racing, owner of stars like Treve and Galileo Gold, but neither has yet captured a Breeders’ Cup race—a fact that adds extra intrigue to Silawi’s potential next target, the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Del Mar.
Al Jehani, whose background includes show jumping for Qatar’s national team and early training stints in his homeland, has adapted quickly to the demands of international competition. “Newmarket is the place to be for anyone involved in horse racing and I am very excited to be here,” he said. “It was something of a culture shock, perhaps, very different from training in Qatar, but the most important thing for me is to see a different way of training horses.”
Since moving to Britain, Al Jehani has sent out nine winners in his first year and already surpassed that tally in 2025, with ten British wins and major international successes in Canada and Germany. He’s the first to admit that he’s unlikely to dominate the British scene numerically, but his focus remains on quality and high-profile international targets. “My job is to understand the right way to train my horses. Some things are similar, some are very different. One really important thing I have found is that in the Middle East we try to make our horses sharp at the start of their races, to get away quickly. In Europe, this is not the case. It’s more important to keep them calm for the first half of the race, let them find their way into the race before stretching out later on. Understanding these different factors is vital for me.”
Bughenaim, meanwhile, is relishing his new life in Newmarket. Though his opportunities have been limited, he’s made the most of them, with five wins from just 43 rides in Britain, including this Grade 1 triumph and a Group 3 win in Germany. “I am very happy to be in Newmarket, to show to a wider audience what I can do,” he said. “I haven’t had many winners but there has been a Grade 1, a Group 3 and a Listed race, so it has been very exciting.”
The impact of this victory has reverberated throughout the Qatari racing community. “Everyone in Qatar racing, jockeys, trainers, owners, when they talk to me since the race in Canada they say it feels like they won too,” Bughenaim shared. “It makes me so happy that they are so happy, it really means a lot to them. They are good at what they do, they know how to race, but something like this reflects well on all of them. We are all one team, and the whole team feels like they won.”
With the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Del Mar looming on the horizon, Silawi’s connections are weighing their options, but there’s no doubt that this Canadian International victory has already redrawn the map for Qatari horse racing. Whether or not Silawi can repeat his heroics on another grand stage, Al Jehani, Bughenaim, and Wathnan Racing have already made history—and inspired a new generation of Qatari horsemen to dream big.
