RIYADH: The Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia on Saturday hosted the second and final evening of the King Abdulaziz Cup, known in Saudi Arabia as the “The Crown of Championships,” with big wins for Asfan Al-Khalediah and Medbaas.
The evening at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Janadriyah, just north of Riyadh, included 11 rounds and ended with two main championship races determining the winners of the King Abdulaziz Cup for purebred Arabian horses and the first-grade race, both for local Saudi horses.
Horse Asfan Al-Khalediah, owned by Prince Khaled bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz and Sons, claimed the first cup, while Mohammed Haadi bin Khyoot Sons’ Medbaas took the second.
Total prize money for the two main rounds was $2.66 million, split equally, with the respective winners each receiving $670,000.
Prior to the races, the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia held a parade of jockeys with thoroughbred Arabian horses to honor Saudi Arabia’s Flag Day, which the Kingdom is celebrating for the first time in its history.
The second evening of the King Abdulaziz Cup began with the Fillies Open, a contest for imported and locally bred open-grade fillies aged four and over. Filly Najd, owned by Prince Saud bin Salman Abdulaziz and trained by M. Almulawah, covered the 2,100m turf round track in 2:13.96 minutes under jockey Alexis Moreno.
The Handicap 0-75, the second round of the evening, saw the horse Gurkhali Warrior, owned by R, win with jockey Eyad Alturisi and trainer Rashed Sanad M. Daban.
Meanwhile, the third round Handicap 0-80, was dedicated to three-year-old fillies and saw Aenood Alghada, owned by Prince Faisal bin Khaled bin Abdulaziz, led by jockey Khaled Almimoni and trained by Hussein Alshoieb, win the 1,200m race.
The Jammran, owned by Prince Mohd. bin Saif Al-Deen bin Saud, won the fourth round of Saturday’s evening Handicap 0-90 race.
In the fifth round, the horse Mahroot, owned by Prince Faisal bin Khaled bin Abdulaziz, won the Local Bred Horses Open race, which spanned 1,400m of dirt distance in which open class productions competed with colts and horses aged four years and older.
Filly Bosooq, owned by Fuad Mohammed Fahd bin Gheshayan, won the Local Bred Fillies Handicap 0-70 in the sixth round on Saturday evening.
The horse Skip, owned by Prince Fahd bin Khalid bin Faisal Al-Saud, won the Local Bred Horses Open race in the seventh round, clocking 2:36.12 over a dirt distance of 2,400m.
Kaasirr, from Ireland and owned by Ahmed Hassan Abdullah Al-Seif, won the JCSA Challenge after completing the eighth round and covering the 1,400m dirt track in 1:25.39 minutes, with jockey Camilo Ospina and trainer Nasser Fawaz.
The filly Wathabat Al-Khalediah II, owned by Prince Khalid bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz Sons, won the JCSA Cup for Arabian horses (of Saudi origin and descent) in the ninth round.
The horse Asfan Al-Khalediah, owned by Prince Khalid bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz Sons, won the King Abdulaziz Cup (Arabian Horses) race in the 10th round on Saturday evening.
Four-year-old, Asfan Al-Khalediah completed the 1,600m track in 1:46.06 minutes with jockey Abdullah Alawfi and trainer Saad Mutlaq, beating seven competitors.
The King Abdulaziz Cup in the 10th round was dedicated to open grades of four-year-old horses.
At the end of the evening, 17 participants competed in the King Abdulaziz Cup.
The horse Medbaas, owned by Mohammed Haadi bin Khyoot Sons, claimed the King Abdulaziz Cup trophy with jockey Aseel Alsarhani and trainer Saad BinKhiood.
Three-year-old Medbaas covered the 1,600m dirt track in 1:39.47 minutes.
