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Copano Kicking Edges Hard-Luck Matera Sky As Japan 1-2 In Riyadh Dirt Sprint

Japanese horses claimed a one-two in Saturday's US $1.5 million Riyadh Dirt Sprint sponsored by Saudi Arabian Airlines as Copano Kicking (USA) overhauled the luckless Matera Sky (USA).

Matera Sky had looked the likely winner for much of the way last year before being collared by the home-trained New York Central and was travelling ominously well at the front under Keita Tosaki.

However, Copano Kicking and William Buick, who was towards the rear of the field and still had lengths to find with 200m to go, found the necessary gears late on to deprive the runner-up by a quarter of a length.

The 6-year-old gelding by Sprint At Last, bred in Kentucky by Reiley McDonald, is a multiple Graded winner in Japan and Buick had come in for the ride after he had partnered another winner for owner Sachiaki Kobayashi when on a short-term contract in the country.

Quotes:

Akira Murayama, trainer, Copano Kicking, 1st: “He is a very talented horse but he's not easy to train, he's temperamental, very edgy and overexcited and he didn't do too much work this week before the race.

“I called the owner before the winner's ceremony, he was very happy, he spoke to William and asked him to ride his horses again in Japan when he comes back. He will go to Dubai, hopefully for the Golden Shaheen. I thought it was going to be a tough race and I'm pleased that we beat last year's winner.”

William Buick, jockey, Copano Kicking: “He was slowly away but I was soon on the tails of the leaders coming into the bend and he picked up really well.”

Keita Tosaki, jockey, Matera Sky, 2nd: “I think Matera Sky ran his race. I thought he won and made revenge as last year's runner up. But he toughed it out.”

Wigberto 'Wiggy' Ramos, jockey, Faz Zae, 3rd: “I'm very happy. That's the way he runs. He starts with the horses then he hangs back, then at the 400m he comes again. Today he was closer than before so I gave him a little break at the 600m and then I kicked. It's been a great meeting for me – I had a winner yesterday and today and I was very happy with this horse.”

Rest of jockey quotes:

Mickael Barzalona, Switzerland, 4th: “I had him in a good position. He travelled well. When he came next to (Matera Sky), I thought we would be close. He just got a little bit tired in the end. He ran a good race and the owner should be happy with that. It would've been better if we would've been third.”

Alexis Moreno, Maypole, 5th: “The race was too speedy. I tried to do my best but you know they bring champions over. My horse ran well.”

Ryusei Sakai, Justin, 6th: “He missed the break and did not have his run.”

Cieren Fallon, Oxted, 7th: “It was obviously an unknown on the dirt. He is by Mayson and has a lovely knee action and he ran well on the soft ground at Ascot so we thought we would give it a go.

“Today he really struggled. He came off the bridle after the first two furlongs, which is very unlike him. He is a horse that travels well, very strong. We came here on the unknown and we chanced it and it didn't pay off. But he will have a great season on the turf back home in England. You never know, the Breeders' Cup on the turf at the end of the year could be on the cards but we are definitely not going to take our chances on the dirt any time soon.”

Mohammed Aldaham, Raaed, 8th: “Too fast. Nice horses, all the horses are good. All of them are Group 1 horses.”

Hollie Doyle, Brad The Brief, 9th: “He jumped and travelled really well, and I was surprised how much pace he showed. The only problem was he hit a flat spot three out (600m) and got a bit disunited, and once they've done that it's hard to recover on the dirt. But he tried, that's the main thing.”

Gavin Ryan, Harry's Bar, 10th: “There was quite a lot of kickback. My horse could never get competitive. There was a strong pace and I was never really in the race.”

Luis Morales, Raucous, 13th: “At least I broke well. The race was so fast. They can run.”

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Gifts Of Gold Outstays The Competition In Red Sea Handicap

Following the victory of sprint star Space Blues (IRE), Godolphin's day in Saudi Arabia just got even better when, at the other end of the distance spectrum stayer Gifts Of Gold (IRE) capitalized on a perfect trip in the Red Sea Turf Handicap to land the US $2.5 million contest by a length and a quarter from Spanish Mission (USA), with fellow Godolphin raider Secret Advisor (FR) running home strongly to take third.

From a sedate early pace, last year's winner Call The Wind (GB) made the early running with the Saeed bin Suroor-trained Gifts Of Gold settling into a handy position under Pat Cosgrave just behind the leaders on the rail in third.

With Mildenberger (GB) contesting the lead with Call The Wind heading into the home turn, Cosgrave switched his mount to the outside to come four wide as the leaders gave way to Making Miracles (GB) making a move through on the inside.

Once straightened for home, Gifts Of Gold was able to unleash a potent sprint kick to surge clear of the leader as Spanish Mission made a determined effort to reel him in, but the 6-year-old son of Invincible Spirit proved just too strong.

One of the lower-profile members of the field at the outset, Gifts Of Gold's victory was the fourth of his career, and the first time he had triumphed beyond 2000m.

Quotes

Saeed Bin Suroor, trainer, Gifts Of Gold, 1st: “This was the plan since January when racing started in Dubai. I thought he would be the perfect horse. He's a big strong horse and he ran well. The pace of the race wasn't that fast and that suited him and he finished the race off really well.

“Pat is good jockey and he has won big races for us in Australia, England and Germany. We're happy. We will take him back to Dubai and maybe he will go for the Gold Cup. I'm sure he will improve some more.”

Pat Cosgrave, jockey, Gifts Of Gold: “That was great. Hopefully we're not finished yet! He was 110 there in a handicap so you have to think he's a horse for the Melbourne Cup maybe next year. He relaxes good and he has that turn of foot which is perfect for Melbourne.”

Ryan Moore, jockey, Spanish Mission, 2nd: “He ran a nice race, you must be happy with that first run of the year. He has won a big one in the past already. The ground is a bit loose now.”

Charlie Appleby, trainer, Secret Advisor, 3rd: “That was a pleasing run. Will (Buick, jockey) said he got a lovely pitch round there. He's a solid campaigner at that trip, and the winner is a good horse on his day, as we know. Great for Saeed, Team Godolphin and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed again.”

Rest of jockey quotes:

Hollie Doyle, Red Verdon, 4th: “It was a real test of his stamina. He travelled around beautifully and he really wanted to do it today, which was great.”

Luis Morales, Making Miracles, 5th: “I had a great trip. Beautiful. He just got a little tired in the last 300m but he ran very well.”

Frankie, Prince Of Arran, 9th: “They went very slowly and I was too far back.”

Jamie Spencer, Mekong, 10th: “They went too slow.”

Olivier Peslier, Call The Wind, 11th: “He was leaning heavily on me during the entire race. He leaned to the right and that is not what he usually does. This is not the horse as we know him.”

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Irish-Bred Space Blues Proves For Godolphin In Saudi Turf Sprint

Despite a layoff since August, some 11th-hour rain and a minor delay to the start of the race, form rang true in the US $1,000,000 1351 Turf Sprint sponsored by stc when Godolphin's Charlie Appleby-trained Space Blues (IRE) asserted himself in the final 200m.

Ridden to perfection by William Buick, the compact 5-year-old son of Dubawi broke from barrier two and sat comfortably in the second flank as early fractions were carved out by Krispen (IRE) and Urban Icon (GB).

Always keeping an eye on the Allan Smith-trained defending champion Dark Power (USA) and jockey Frankie Dettori – galloping just ahead – Buick leaned the Group 1 Prix Maurice de Gheest winner to the outside, joining Appleby stablemate Glorious Journey (GB) as they commenced four and five-wide rallies around the bend.

Hitting the stretch with a couple of lengths to find on the leaders, Space Blues accelerated nicely in the final 300m, overpowering last year's victor over the unique 1351m distance. The final margin was three-quarters of a length back to Dark Power, with a neck back to Urban Icon and Joel Rosario in third. The win was a bit of redemption for Appleby, whose Mubtasim and Glorious Journey were second and third to Dark Power in 2020's inaugural running.

Quotes:

Charlie Appleby, trainer, Space Blues, 1st: “Absolutely delighted with that. We knew he was a class horse coming into the race and he had a lovely draw. I could see (the ground) was a bit loose for him and our concern was that he might just spin a bit on it, but he's come back on the bridle turning in like a class horse and put the race to bed at the right time. He travels for fun, watching the race there. I'll be interested to see what William has to say because obviously Dubai World Cup night has to be taken into consideration.”

William Buick, jockey, Space Blues: “We had a great run through. He broke well and I didn't want to be too close to the pace. The pace was perfect. It wasn't too hot or too slow. I followed Frankie (Dettori) before the split in the straight. It was how I hoped the race would pan out. He was the best horse and I didn't want to go for any heroics. You'd imagine this would set him for the Al Quoz.”

Frankie Dettori, jockey, Dark Power, 2nd: “I had a good race. I got the cover and we ran pretty much the same race as last year. He ran well and I was delighted to have him back in great form. The winner is a Group 1 horse, let's not forget. There is just some water on the track, it still rides beautifully.”

Allan Smith, trainer, Dark Power: “Charlie's horse was always coming, but no disgrace for Dark Power. He ran a fantastic race and Frankie gave it a good run. It was pretty much copybook to last year. He ran a little bit with the choke out early on, but Frankie got him settled. He got into a nice rhythm around the bend and I was delighted with him. And good luck to Charlie. We'd done him last year and he's done us this year. We've been invited to the Dubai World Cup meeting for the Al Quoz and I suppose if anything that'll be his next move.”

Joel Rosario, jockey, Urban Icon, 3rd: “That was good – he broke well; it took him a little bit to get a position, but turning for home, for a second I thought he was going to go on, but there were strong horses coming at the end there, the first two. He ran good, though.”

Rest of jockey quotes:

James Doyle, jockey, Glorious Journey, 4th: “He ran a good race. He got a little bit restless in the gates so we started a little bit slow but we ended up being in a nice position. When Space Blues came past me I just struggled to keep tabs with him, but he ran well and it was a great result for the team.”

Adrie de Vries, Land of Legends, 5th: “I jumped well. I got on for the speed a little bit then I lost a bit of position. He came back good in the straight. He could do with a little bit further, he's a seven-furlong (1400m) horse. This was a bit short for him.”

Cristian Demuro, Momkin, 6th: “He ran good but he stopped a little bit.

Alexis Moreno, Krispen, 9th: “My horse had good speed but he did not finish well. The best horse won the race. Best of luck for everybody.”

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Doyle Makes History On Saudi Cup Day, Guiding True Self Past Channel Maker In Neom Turf Cup

Hollie Doyle has become one of British racing's shining stars with her exploits over the last few months and her talents were demonstrated on the global stage with a perfect late run on True Self (IRE) in the US $1,000,000 Neom Turf Cup Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Now an 8-year-old mare, the Willie Mullins-trained True Self has been a real globe-trotter for Ireland, her most notable overseas victories to date coming with consecutive scores in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes in Australia.

Knowing that her mount would have plenty of stamina for the 2100m event, Doyle allowed For The Top (ARG) to take the field along before the big United Stakes contender Channel Maker (CAN) and Joel Rosario made their move along the backstretch.

Doyle, whose prolific streak of victories and first Group 1 success in 2020 even put her on the podium in the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year Award, timed it to perfection, coming past Rosario with 50m left to run and a length and a quarter clear at the post to become the first female jockey to ride a winner on the Saudi Cup card.

Quotes:

Hollie Doyle, jockey, New York Central, 1st: “It has been an incredible year, so it's great to get the new year off in a prestigious race such as this. I thought she was my best winning chance of the day, I watched all her performances and a step back in trip was a very clever move by Mr Mullins. They set a generous gallop the whole way round, but I managed to track them and got the splits up the straight. Willie said she's got one burst of speed and that's what she had.”

Willie Mullins, trainer, True Self: “It was a fantastic ride by Hollie and the team have done a great job out there. We bought her originally as a mare to go hurdling with but she just has a huge amount of speed and all the jockeys who rode her said a mile and a quarter would suit her. It didn't always work out but it was great to come for a big prize like this. The two plans this year were here and Australia at the end of the year. I'll have to talk to the owners, OTI Racing, to decide what else we do.”

Joel Rosario, jockey, Channel Maker, 2nd: “I mean it was good. The plan was to go to the lead and then he ran his race. I thought for a second I was going to get there and then the horse came with a strong run. He ran a big race. I got into Riyadh at one in the morning, everything was fine. I'm glad I made it here.”

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