Tag: King Abdulaziz Racetrack

Ortiz Scoops Big Prize In Saudi

Leading jockey Jose Ortiz rode four races Friday on the first of a two-day stint at King Abdulaziz Racetrack in the Saudi capital of Riyadh, and was able to boot home the winner of one of the program's feature races, guiding the U.S.-bred 6-year-old mare Avalina (Tale of Ekati) to a 3 3/4-length success in the $186,667 Prince Sultan Ben A/Aziz Cup over the metric 10 furlongs.

Bred in Kentucky by Charles Fipke, Avalina won three of her first four career starts for owner John O'Hara and trainer Danny Gargan, capped by a victory in the 2019 Parx Sprint Oaks. A $15,000 Keeneland September yearling, Avalina was acquired for $75,000 at the 2020 Fasig-Tipton July Horses of All Ages Sale and made 10 starts in 2021 for HRH Prince Faisal Bin Khaled Bin A/Aziz, amassing an admirable record of 3-2-3, including a victory over 1800 meters Dec. 10.

Drawn gate 10, Avalina was beaten for speed and settled in about fourth position while kept out in the middle of the track by Ortiz. Asked to improve three furlongs from home, she responded when set down in upper stretch and hit the front with a bit less than a furlong to travel before edging away to score by 3 3/4 lengths over local Group 1 winner La Casa Tarifa (Ire) (Casamento {Ire}) (see below, SC 10). Avalina holds entries for the $20-million G1 Saudi Cup (1800m) as well as the $1.5-million Riyadh Dirt Sprint (1200m) and $500,000 Saudi International H. (2100mT) on this year's Saudi Cup program Feb. 22.

Ortiz was also fourth to the Silvestre de Sousa-ridden Third Kingdom (GB) (Make Believe {GB}) in the Prince Naif Ben A/Aziz Cup while his two other mounts finished farther down the field. Ortiz has rides in three of Saturday's four local Group 1 races, including Prince Faisal's Persian Moon (Ire) (Makfi {GB}) in the $213,333 King Saud Cup (2000m).

 

REPLAY: Jose Ortiz lands the Prince Sultan Ben A/Aziz Cup aboard Avalina

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Albadri Primed for Saudi Derby

Jane Chapple-Hyam's Albadri (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire}) will take part in the $1.5-million Saudi Derby on the $20-million Saudi Cup undercard on Feb. 20. A winner on debut, the bay colt raced exclusively in stakes company in his next four starts, with his best finish a fifth in the G3 Tattersalls S. in September. His final 2020 appearance was a sixth in the G3 Horris Hill S. two starts later on Oct. 24. In his latest run, he handled the Southwell synthetic well and saluted by a length in a handicap there on Jan. 28.

“We might be a 100-1 shot, but we got an invitation so may as well give it a go,” said the Suffolk trainer. “He went on the nearest I could find to dirt in England–which is Southwell. Hollie [Doyle] was pleased with him, and he won.

“He's going out in really good order, and I'm flying out there tonight [Monday]. It's very competitive, but every now and again you've got to dip your toe in the deep end. It's not a massive field–and because we got the invite, the owners were keen, so why not?”

She added, “Hopefully we can finish in the prize money–which would help–and he's come out of his race at Southwell very well, and he went into that needing it. He'll have been about 85% fit, so he's bang on song now. We've always liked him. I've always felt he would make up into a 100-rated horse, so he needs to prove that on Saturday.

“They'll go quick, with the Americans and Japanese. When he won on debut he came from off the pace, but he made the running last time–so he's versatile. Hollie rode him in the Horris Hill and got a really good feel off him that day, which is important to me because she believes in the horse. Hollie's on again.”

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John Velazquez Confirmed For Saudi Arabia’s International Jockeys Challenge

Leading US-based rider John Velazquez is the final international jockey to be confirmed for the stc International Jockeys Challenge (IJC) on Friday, Feb. 19. The 49-year-old will take on 13 other jockeys in the IJC, before partnering Tacitus, owned by the late Prince Khalid Abdullah's Juddmonte Farms, in the $20m Saudi Cup a day later.

It won't be a first appearance at the King Abdulaziz Racetrack in Riyadh for the jockey from Puerto Rico:

“I was last in Saudi six or seven years ago and I was very impressed with the track. The dirt was nice and smooth, they did a really good job with it.

“I'm excited to take part in the IJC, it's a fun concept. I did one in Japan once and I also went to a challenge in Turkey. We used to do it in Texas a long time ago as well.”

Velazquez landed a first Breeders' Cup Classic in November with Authentic, the horse who had given him a third Kentucky Derby just two months earlier, but the pilot is no stranger to international success, winning the 2005 Dubai World Cup on Roses In May and the 2017 King's Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot with Lady Aurelia.

“I love these big international races where lots of people come together from all over the world. It's great to meet everyone and I'm just glad to be a part of it,” said Velazquez.

“The Saudi Cup is a great concept and they pulled it off well last year. It's really good for the sport to have the eyes of the world watching this meeting.”

Bill Mott's Tacitus, who finished fifth in the inaugural edition of The Saudi Cup 12 months ago, will be his mount in the world's most valuable race on Saturday 20 February:

“Tacitus ran a good race last year and hopefully we can get a better position in the first part of the race. He is perhaps better over slightly further but he does have the speed to be fairly close to the front runners.

“There are some very good horses to beat like Knicks Go and Charlatan, they look really tough and like to go forward. Hopefully they go too fast and we can sit not too far back before coming down the lane,” he said.

In a career that has spanned over 30 years, it is clear what adding a Saudi Cup to his glittering resume would mean to Velazquez, particularly in the iconic Juddmonte colors:

“It would be incredible. To get your hands on a $20m race – we all dream of that – hopefully Tacitus can do it,” he said.

“Prince Khalid Abdullah has been such a great asset for the sport all around the world and we are all going to miss him.”

This year's stc International Jockeys Challenge takes place on Friday, Feb. 19 – the day before the $20million Saudi Cup. Jockeys will be made up of seven international women, two local men and five international men. The prize money in each of the four races will be $400,000 and there is a $100,000 prize pot for the Challenge with $30,000 going to the winner.

12 of the 14 riders have now been confirmed with the remaining two local jockeys announced soon:

Sibylle Vogt, 25 (SUI)

Jorge Ricardo, 59 (BRA)

Jessica Marcialis, 30 (ITA)

Maria Lujan Asconiga, 27 (ARG)

Nieves Garcia, 43 (SPA)

Cristian Demuro, 28 (ITA)

Nanako Fujita, 23 (JPN)

Malin Holmberg, 30 (SWE)

Shane Foley, 32 (IRE)

William Buick, 32 (UK)

Hollie Doyle, 24 (UK)

John Velazquez, 49 (PR)

For more information on The Saudi Cup including Entries, Past Performances and Where to Watch: www.thesaudicup.com.sa

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Freddy Head-Trained Call The Wind To Defend Title In Saudi Long Distance Turf Handicap

Call The Wind is on course to defend his crown in the $2.5million Long Distance Turf Handicap The Saudi Cup meeting later this month.

The French raider, ridden by experienced jockey Olivier Peslier, was a cozy 2 1/2-length winner of the 3000m (about 1 7/8 miles) contest 12 months ago when beating Mekong and Prince Of Arran. Subsequent Melbourne Cup hero Twilight Payment was back in seventh.

It proved to be the start of a profitable year for the 7-year-old son of Frankel as he went on to win two Group races over 3000m at Deauville later in the season.

Call The Wind's trainer Freddy Head is looking forward to a return to the King Abdulaziz Racetrack in Riyadh for the two-day Saudi Cup meeting.

He said: “The horse is in very good form. He's wintered well and everything is fine with him at the moment.

“He won nicely last year and I was very pleased with him. He's got a bit more weight this time and I've not seen which other horses he is likely to be up against but I think we have a good chance of winning.

“He liked the track so everything is in order. The reception we got in Saudi Arabia was very good and we had everything we could have wanted. I'm really looking forward to him running there again.”

The Long Distance Handicap will be run on Saturday, Feb. 20, taking place on the same day as the $20million Saudi Cup, the world's most valuable race.

The meeting will kick off on Friday, Feb. 19 with an eight-race card featuring the International Jockeys' Challenge where some of the world's best male and female riders will go head-to-head.

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