Today marked the commencement of the second qualifying race for the Al Ain Camel Festival 2026, held at the Al Rawda racecourse in the Al Ain region. The event featured intense competition among young camels over a distance of 2 kilometres across 20 heats, with significant participation from camels owned by nationals and those from Gulf Cooperation Council countries.
Breakthrough Performances in Early Heats
The day’s competitions kicked off with “التزام,” owned by Shahab Hamad bin Ali Al Juhafi, securing victory in the first heat with a time of 2:51:15 minutes. In the second round, “شاهين,” owned by Ali Abdullah bin Awaid Al Bloushi, clinched the top spot, clocking in an impressive 2:50:74 minutes, the best time of the day so far.
Highlights from the Third to Eighteenth Heats
“مهمة,” owned by Saif Mubarak bin Amer Al Habsi, dominated the third heat with a finishing time of 2:52:50 minutes. Meanwhile, “هرزام,” belonging to Abdullah Sultan bin Saeed Al Ghufili, triumphed in the fourth heat, recording a time of 2:54:10 minutes.
In the fifth heat, “ندى” of Mohammed Saeed bin Salem Al Dhahri claimed victory with a time of 2:51:16 minutes, while Nasser Mohammed Mohammed bin Ghanem Al Hemly’s “الذيبة” took the sixth heat at 2:53:94 minutes. The seventh heat was won by “هملول” belonging to Salim Mohammed bin Hamid Rashid Al Amri, finishing in 2:51:06 minutes, followed by “السريعة” from Saeed Salem bin Hamad Al Jidaili in the eighth heat with a time of 2:51:53 minutes.
The ninth heat saw a win for “منذار” from His Excellency Saif bin Mohammed Al Ketbi, crossing the line in 2:50:74 minutes. The tenth heat was led by “عشاق,” owned by Ibrahim Saeed bin Salem Al Hajri, who recorded a time of 2:51:08 minutes while “الوارية,” a camel of Matar Hamad Ra’i Al Sheiba Al Amri, took the eleventh heat with a time of 2:52:72 minutes.
In the twelfth heat, “الفايضة” owned by Abdullah Saeed bin Sultan Al Ghufili won with a time of 2:55:84 minutes, whereas “الشبابي” from Ali Abdullah bin Awaid Al Bloushi trailed closely behind with a time of 2:52:12 minutes in the thirteenth heat. Following this, “منذاك,” a camel belonging to Matar Hamad Ra’i Al Sheiba Al Amri, took the fourteenth heat in 2:53:46 minutes, and “تحذير,” owned by Awad Ali bin Abdullah Al Bloushi, finished with a time of 2:53:16 minutes to take the fifteenth heat.
The sixteenth heat was won by “متعب” owned by Ahmed Salem bin Mabrouk Al Qanoui in 2:53:40 minutes, while “هملوله” from Awad Ali bin Abdullah Al Bloushi secured the seventeenth heat at 2:55:75 minutes.
In the eighteenth heat, “مرهي” from Mubarak Nasser bin Saeed Salem Al Amri finished strong with a time of 2:54:96 minutes. As the competition drew to a close, “ثقة,” owned by Abdullah Hamad Al Qazein Al Amri, clinched the nineteenth heat in 2:55:23 minutes. The final heat saw “ولم” from Hamad Hamid bin Mansour Al Dhahri take the victory, completing the course in 2:54:19 minutes.