Tag: riyadh

Saudi Cup Runners Arrive In Riyadh From Japan, U.S.

The plane carrying the Japanese contingent to Riyadh for next Saturday's Saudi Cup meeting touched down at King Khalid International Airport, and each of the nation's four entrants for the $20-million G1 Saudi Cup appear to have taken the flight in good order.

Looking to make it back-to-back successes in the world's richest horse race following the stunning all-the-way victory by Panthalassa (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) last February are Japan's champion dirt horse Lemon Pop (Lemon Drop Kid); reigning G1 Dubai World Cup winner Ushba Tesoro (Jpn) (Orfevre {Jpn}); Derma Sotogake (Jpn) (Mind Your Biscuits), last year's G2 UAE Derby hero and runner-up to White Abarrio (Race Day) in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic; and the MGSW/MG1SP Meisho Hario (Jpn) (Pyro).

Lightly raced for a 6-year-old, with just 14 starts under his belt, Lemon Pop won last year's G1 February S. and ventured overseas for the first time for the G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen. An outpaced 10th behind Sibelius (Not This Time), the chestnut successfully stepped up in trip and wired the G1 Champions Cup in his first try over nine furlongs last December. Connections have opted for the path of greater resistance for his seasonal debut a week from Saturday.

“There's going to be plenty of competition there and that nine furlongs will test him now because we're not absolutely sure that's his best distance,” Godolphin Japan President Harry Sweeney told the TDN's Emma Berry in a recent interview. “But anyway, the option really is either to stay at home in Japan and run in the February S….or to go abroad and run in the Saudi Cup. So that's what we're doing.”

 

 

 

A field of 16 will be drawn Friday for Sunday's February S., a 'Win and You're In' challenge race that offers a berth in the field for the 2024 Breeders' Cup Classic at Del Mar. But while the February does not lack for quantity, the racing calendar dictates that the country's stars are elsewhere.

“In truth, [the Saudi Cup] hurts the February S. a little bit, which is only one of two Grade 1 races in the JRA calendar on dirt,” Sweeney opined. So you have horses like Lemon Pop, Ushba Tesoro, Derma Sotogake all going to Saudi. Whereas in a different era they would all run in the February S.”

The Japanese have been major players in the brief history of the Saudi Cup races, and their other main chances include defending champion Bathrat Leon (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}) in the G2 1351 Turf Sprint; Forever Young (Jpn) (Real Steel {Jpn}) in the G3 Saudi Derby; and Remake (Jpn) (Lani), who will try to improve on his third-place effort in the G3 Riyadh Dirt Sprint.

The American representatives also touched down in Riyadh late Wednesday evening, including the Saudi Cup-bound White Abarrio, National Treasure (Quality Road) and Saudi Crown (Always Dreaming).

 

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Spirit Dancer Confirmed For Neom Turf Cup

Bahraini group winner Spirit Dancer (GB) (Frankel {GB}) has been confirmed for the 2100-metre $2-million G2 Neom Turf Cup on the Saudi Cup undercard on Saturday, Feb. 24.

Owned by the partnership of Done/Ferguson/Mason, the gelding won the G3 Strensall S. last August before taking the G2 Bahrain International Trophy two starts later in November. Given some time off, he made his 7-year-old bow in the G1 Jebel Hatta at Meydan on Jan. 26, running on to be fourth behind Measured Time (GB) (Frankel {GB}).

“I was delighted to get that run in Dubai into him,” said trainer Richard Fahey.

“We were pleased with the run and we were probably just drawn a little bit wide–hopefully the run will put him 100% right for Saudi.

“We're going to run in the Neom. I was keen to go for the big one there [Saudi Cup], but I just felt nine furlongs on the dirt would be sharp enough for him. He's a horse I would probably want to go a mile and a half in Saudi rather than a sharp nine, if that makes sense.”

“Barring problems I'm sure his owners are very keen,” continued Fahey. “Peter Done and Ged Mason are both very keen and Sir Alex is keen as well, so it looks like they are booking and barring problems I would say they will probably be there.

“We certainly enjoyed Bahrain and anything now is a bonus, but we're expecting him to run a big race in Saudi.”

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White Abarrio, National Treasure To Depart Santa Anita For Saudi Cup Tuesday

GI Breeders' Cup Classic winner White Abarrio (Race Day) and GI Pegasus World Cup victor National Treasure (Quality Road) are scheduled to leave Santa Anita for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Tuesday in advance of their expected next starts in the Saudi Cup Feb. 24.

Per Santa Anita Stable Superintendent Jeff Metz, Richard Mandella will send Forbidden Kingdom (American Pharoah) and potentially Planetario (Brz) (Il Doge {Brz}) for starts on the Saudi Cup undercard.

After spending nearly 12 hours in the holding barn at Santa Anita, the Saudi-bound contingent will leave for Los Angeles International Airport at 4 a.m. Wednesday morning. They will go first to Miami via Mersant International where they will be joined by a group of Eastern-based horses for the 13-hour trip to Riyadh.

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Jimmy Jerkens Saddles First Saudi Winner

Trainer Jimmy Jerkens, who relocated to Saudi Arabia earlier this year to take up a position as private trainer to Prince Faisal bin Khalid Al Saud, was represented by his first winner when  Honky Tonk Man (Ire) (Tamayuz {GB}) won a 1400-meter allowance Saturday afternoon at King Khalid Racecourse in Ta'if, about 500 miles southwest of Riyadh.

Ridden by former U.S.-based jockey Wigberto Ramos from gate 16, Honky Tonk Man–who was second to fellow American-bred Chiefdom (The Factor) when becoming Jerkens's first runner in a 0-90 handicap July 15–raced with the leading group and edged forward to contend for the lead with about a half-mile to race. Matching strides into the stretch in a rematch with Chiefdom Saturday, Honky Tonk Man began to get the upper hand inside the final furlong and went on to score by 1 1/2 lengths (see below, SC 16).

 

 

“It is, I must admit, it's a little bit of breathing room for a little while,” a relieved Jerkens told the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia's Shamela Hanley. “He ran a winning race last time. The others we've run since then haven't fared as well, they just didn't get enough out of their works in the morning to be fit enough. But he's a light, little horse, kind of a natural athlete and he was getting over the track better than the majority of my horses, so I was fairly confident in him.”

A winner of two of nine starts in England for trainers Harry and Roger Charlton, Honky Tonk Man was purchased by Najd Stud for 150,000gns ($177,654) at last year's Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale, an increasingly important source of bloodstock for jurisdictions in the Middle East. He was unplaced in a pair of starts at King Abdulaziz Racecourse last January and February before being transferred to Jerkens.

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