RIYADH: A 17-week journey to the season-ending Saudi Cup meeting begins this weekend as racing returns to Riyadh’s King Abdulaziz Racecourse with three days of action headlined by the Abdullah bin Ibrahim Aba Alkhail Award Open on Saturday.
After a successful summer season at King Khaled Racecourse in the mountains of Taif, the focus now switches to the capital, where the Red Stable of Prince Faisal bin Khaled bin Abdulaziz appears to hold many excellent chances at the opening fixture, highlighted by Tahzeem (KSA) in the 1800m feature.
The mount of last season’s champion jockey, Adel Alfouraidi, is top-rated in a field of 10 runners and seeks to extend his winning sequence having put together four victories on the bounce at the end of the previous Riyadh campaign.
One of his main challengers appears to be fellow Abdullah Al Kahtani-trained and Red Stable runner Harbi (KSA) who was a Taif winner this summer, with the White Stable of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz & Sons leaning on another Taif victor in the shape of Lelah Doroh (KSA) under Camilo Ospina.
The Red Stable have other brilliant chances on Saturday with Alex Moreno’s Hatha Alkalam (KSA) in Race 9, Saodad (KSA) and Jahdoon (KSA) in Race 4 and they are three-handed in the penultimate handicap with the Abdullah Alawfi-ridden Painters Palette (IRE) topping the weights for a 1800m handicap.
They are also represented in Race 5 by Alfouraidi’s mount Alfaisaleyah (GB), but this 1200m Open would appear to be at the mercy of Muqtahem (IRE) for the powerful combination of jockey Muhammad Aldaham, trainer Thamer Aldaihani and owner Sheikh Abdullah Homoud Almalek Al-Sabah.
Saturday’s card opens with an ultra-strong field for a 1400m Arabian Horses Open in which Taif Sprint Championship second and third, Baseqm and Bake (USA) and Tawaaq Al Khalediah (KSA), again do battle with the similarly rated Wasib (FR) also in the 12-runner field.
Races 8 and 12 are the standouts on Friday where dual Taif winner and King Khaled Racecourse Championship third placed Waqtuk (USA) is the headline name in the former over 1600m having failed to follow his trial win in the final event of the summer season.
The closing race is over the marathon 2400m and the Red Stable has Walter Hartright (IRE) and Moore’s Law (USA) declared — the latter is nicely clear on the figures and has the champion jockey in the saddle.
The weekend could get off to a great start for the Red Stable as Moreno’s mount Hatha Alkalam (KSA) looks the key player in Race 9 — Thursday’s main event — a local-bred open, having scored on two of his four starts last season.
