Page 62 - Majestic Vol.03

RATIONAL BUSINESS THINKING
Asked if he has affection for one
particular horse, or if there is one that impressive achievements, his family
he is most unwilling to part with,
Sheikh Fahad solemnly replied, “I love
thoroughbreds, but I am also a trader.
You cannot rely on emotions to run an
operation. You need to use your head,
and be rational and critical,” pointing
at his head to emphasise this point.
This explains his bold philosophy when
investing in a horse that he likes, and
why he is happy to sell when a high-
profile winner reaches its targeted
return. In other words, there is none
that he is unable to let go. What he
is truly interested in, is identifying
talented thoroughbreds, and developing
various possible strategies to win races. 90% of the time you will face defeat.
Unlike other horse owners, Sheikh
Fahad does not set his sights solely on
race horsing. He takes a broader view
of the industry worldwide, with regards
to the upstream process of breeding
and training of thoroughbred horses.
This process is the most profitable
aspect of the thoroughbred industry,
and it involves the purchasing of
bloodstock, training them for races and
successful wins, building up top class
studs, and guiding the next generation
of thoroughbred talents to achieve
their potential. This industrial chain
has tremendous opportunities and
challenges, and it is an area that Sheikh increased sponsorship and prize money,
Fahad is currently focusing on.
“If you ask me what my objective in
the thoroughbred horse industry is, it
is to be the world’s top class breeder,
and at the same time, to encourage
more people to join the industry, be
they horse trainers, or jockeys. I hope
to make a contribution to growing the
industry, by bringing in more people,
creating interest and raising the quality horse selection to stallion training, or in
of the racing and bloodstock industry.” planning and positioning, when dealing
BROAD VIEW OF THE BREEDING EMPIRE
Pearl Bloodstock was established in
2010, and this was followed by joint
ventures with family members to form
Qatar Racing and Qatar Bloodstock.
58
“Apart from winning, the greatest joy in Success is to play to
horse racing, I feel, is the camaraderie one’s strength, and to build
it brings.” Due to Sheikh Fahad’s on that strength — this
principle applies to both
members gave him authority to oversee human and horse.
the running of these operations. Under
the helm of the young and visionary 生意必须理性分析
Sheik Fahad, they have built stables 当问及谢赫·法哈德对旗下哪一匹马情
worldwide, with horses training in 有独锺，又或者有没有最不能割舍的马？
Britain, New Zealand, Australia, “我爱纯血马，但同时我也是在经营一
France, Germany, and Japan, and this 门生意。做生意，不能只靠心，还要靠头
list is set to grow. 脑去理性分析。”谢赫·法哈德的表情俨
然，强调式地指了指自己的头，所以这也
It has been a meteoric rise to 解释了他为何对相中的马匹大胆投资，对
international prominence for Sheikh 表现出色的马匹在达到既定的投资回报后
Fahad, who admitted that one of 可以毫不犹豫地转让。换言之，在他眼中
the greatest lessons learnt is that of 没有最放不下的，只有最具潜质的良驹，
patience. “This is a long term business 以及各种可能的策略变化。
investment. There are no short cuts, and 和一般马主不同，出身显贵的谢赫·法哈
德的眼光不仅仅是落在赛马场上，而是放
You need to be patient to achieve that 眼纯血马在全世界的关键上游产业，那就
10% of success and returns. Everybody 是育马和驯马，这也是纯血马产业中盈
makes mistakes, and I am no exception
to that. However, we must learn through
our mistakes. It is also essential to draw
on the experiences of others. You need
to be calm and collected. I felt that my
tolerance level has increased over the
years. I firmly believe that patience is
the key (to success).”
Sheikh Fahad Al Thani is optimistic
about the growth and future of the horse
racing industry in China. Apart from
infrastructure requirement being met,
he hopes to see the races benefit from
as these will help the industry become
more mature. Education and training
is especially important, to ensure that
thoroughbred racing goes from strength
to strength.
“Victory happens when you cross the
finishing line before others.” Success
however, is knowing which horse to
place on the track. In strategising, from
with business operations, Sheikh Fahad
opined, “Success is to play to one’s
strength, and to build on that strength
— this principle applies to both human
and horse.”