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Sutherland Enters Jockey Challenge In Saudi

The Saudi Cup International Jockeys Challenge, led by defending champion Caitlin Jones, plus a mix of international female and male riders like Victoria Alonso, Joanna Mason, Frankie Dettori, Luis Saez, Joao Moreia, and Chantal Sutherland, is set for King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Saudi Arabia on Friday.

The jockeys will compete to receive 15% of prize-money for each of the four $400,000 races in they win with a further $100,000 going to the overall champion.

“It is my first time in Saudi Arabia and I'm actually blown away by the hospitality and the kindness people have shown” said the Florida-based and Canadian-born Sutherland.

The daughter of a Standardbred trainer, Sutherland is no stranger to making history. She was the first woman to win the GI Santa Anita H. and also the first to ride in the G1 Dubai World Cup, both aboard Game On Dude (Awesome Again). Sutherland also piloted him to a second-place finish in the 2011 GI Breeders' Cup Classic behind Drosselmeyer (Distorted Humor), who was ridden by then-boyfriend Mike Smith.

“I was second in the Breeders' Cup Classic and I thought that was around the time to maybe have a child,” said Sutherland. I stopped racing and took about four years out and didn't ever get to have a kid. The marriage [to Dan Kruse] didn't work out either, so I went back to racing, got injured, then got back from the injury, then Covid happened.”

Sutherland's decision to return to the track was prompted by a move to the Sunshine State over the course of the winter in early 2021.

“I was going to ride just before Covid. I was going to ride Turfway [Park] and that was freezing,” she said. “I'd frozen for I don't know how long in my career, in Canada, at Aqueduct. I thought, 'I'm going to Florida,' and I just loved it. It felt like home.”

As far as her mounts for Friday in Saudi Arabia, Sutherland will be aboard the appropriately-named, Fighter (KSA) (Official Flame) in race two over 1600 meters and Inhimr (KSA) (Pomeroy) in race three going 1400 meters, both on dirt. Then in the pair of turf races, she will guide Go Fast Traou Land (Fr) (George Vancouver) in the 1200-meter race five and finish off with Billy Batts (City Zip) in race six over 2100 meters.

She added, “I'm really looking forward to the Jockeys Challenge. I've already worked out the races, watched all the replays and I've spoken to some key handicap people who have put the races together. I feel I am ready, physically, mentally and preparation-wise. I've done my homework. It's going to be exciting.”

Sutherland is looking forward to staying put at Gulfstream Park once she returns from the Middle East, especially since year-round racing continues to draw jockeys from all quadrants.

“I'm very happy in Florida and very happy to be doing what I'm doing again,” Sutherland said. It has been stop-start, but now everything, with the flow, I feel there is an alignment in my life and everything is going well.”

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Tweenhills Stallion Havana Gold Sustains Fatal Pelvis Injury

Group 1 winner and top-level sire Havana Gold (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}–Jessica's Dream {Ire}, by Desert Style {Ire}), passed away at the age of 13 after sustaining a fatal pelvis injury, Tweenhills announced on Thursday afternoon.

Bred by Sir Eric Parker in Ireland, the bay was a 50,000gns buyback at the Tattersalls December Foal Sale turned 80,000 gns Tattersalls October yearling. Bearing the colours of Qatar Racing Limited and CSH on the racecourse, Havana Gold won his first two starts, and by the end of his juvenile season was a victor of both the G3 Somerville Tattersalls S. and the Listed Ascendant S. for Richard Hannon. At three, he added the G1 Prix Jean Prat and was second in the G3 Craven S. and retired to Tweenhills with a mark of 11-5-2-0 and earnings $625,567.

Retired to stud in 2014 where he stood initially for £8,500 and commanded as high a fee as £15,000 in 2018 and 2019, Havana Gold became both the leading UK-based first-season sire in 2017 and the leading UK-based sire of 2-year-olds in 2021.

His first son to stud, Havana Grey (Ire), 3-year-old hero of the G1 Flying Five S. at the Curragh (Ire), was crowned leading UK-based first-season sire last year. Havana Gold was also the sire of 14 other stakes winners including Group 2 winner El Caballo (GB) and Group 3 winners, Tabdeed (GB) and Treasuring (GB). He also is responsible for last season's unbeaten 2-year-old Streets of Gold (Ire).

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Japanese Superstar Fukunaga To Hang Up The Saddle At Saudi Cup

Yuichi Fukunaga, one of the most decorated jockeys in Japanese racing history, paid an emotional tribute to his fans ahead of his retirement rides at the Saudi Cup.

The 46-year-old had his final rides on the Japan Racing Association (JRA) circuit at Tokyo Racecourse earlier this month but will close the chapter on his storied career when he partners Remake (Jpn) (Lani) in the G3 Riyadh Dirt Sprint presented by Sports Boulevard and Ecoro Ares (Unified) in the G3 Saudi Derby presented by Boutique Group on Saturday.

The veteran rider will concentrate fully on his training career upon his retirement from the saddle and told fans of how that new ambition outweighed his desire to continue riding.

“I have found other things I really want to do as my job,” he said. “I never felt I did not like being a jockey. The attraction of becoming a trainer outweighed the motivation to continue my riding career because I have had enough as a jockey. As a trainer, I can be more deeply involved with horses.”

Fukunaga will retire with a spectacular list of achievements. As an established rider, he has collected 45 Grade/Group 1 wins which include 34 on the JRA circuit, six at the National Association of Racing (NAR) level and five overseas.

Those were the American Oaks on Cesario (Jpn) (Special Week {Jpn}) in 2005, three times in Hong Kong on Eishin Preston (Green Dancer) and the Dubai Duty Free on Just A Way (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) in 2014. In 2022, he won the G1 February S. on Saturday's G1 Saudi Cup entrants Cafe Pharoah (Jpn) (American Pharoah) and Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) on Geoglyph (Jpn) (Drefong), having helped Contrail (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) land the Japanese Triple Crown in 2020.

He continued, “I'd like to thank all the racing fans for supporting and cheering the horse racing in Japan, I never thought I wanted to quit as a jockey in these 27 years. I am very grateful to all the people involved in my jockey life. I will go to the next stage as a trainer, and I do hope I can train horses that many people want to cheer.”

Fukunaga added, “I want to express my gratitude to the connections for the chances to ride in Saudi Arabia for my final rides. Hopefully I can show their best runs and bring the best results to all the fans in Japan.”

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Jersey Des Brosses Brings 370k At Tattersalls Cheltenham February Sale

Wildcard Jersey Des Brosses (Fr) (No Risk At All {Fr}) (lot 32) brought a sale-topping bid of £370,000 from Gordon Elliott Racing to lead the way during Thursday's Tattersalls Cheltenham February Sale.

The price was the highest for a 4-year-old since 2019. Second on his debut at Oldtown last weekend to fellow sales horse Jingko Blue (Fr) (Great Pretender {Ire}) (lot 36) who made £225,000 from JP McGrath Bloodstock, Jersey Des Brosses was consigned by Colin Bowe's Milestone Stables.

Elliott, bidding online, said, “He looked the standout horse in the sale, and I'd say a summer's grass is what he wants as he's a horse with plenty of improvement in him.

“He's one we're looking forward to for next year. We'd seen him in Colin's and liked him. We'll have to get him home and get him sold now.”

A pair of winning Walk In The Park (Ire) geldings from Monbeg Stables brought £290,000 and £250,000 apiece, as Mt Fugi Park (Ire) (lot 8) caught the eye of Stroud Coleman Bloodstock on behalf of Jonjo O'Neill Racing, and Highflyer Bloodstock bought Leader In The Park (Ire) (lot 28), respectively.

A total of 40 lots of 52 offered (77%) sold for a gross of £4,298,000, the third highest aggregate ever reached at the sale. The average rose 30% to £107,450 and the median rose by 29% to £77,500.

Matt Prior, Tattersalls Head of Sales, said, “To have six horses fetch over £200,000, 15 sell for over £100,000 and a record-breaking turnover is a fantastic result and shows the continuing desire by owners and trainers to buy the very best NH prospects at the Tattersalls Cheltenham sales.

“A top-price of £370,000 given for the 4-year-old Jersey Des Brosses is a fabulous result for trainer Colin Bowe and owner Walter Connors, who are always such strong supporters of Tattersalls, and it is a great start to this year's trade in 4-year-old point-to-pointers.”

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