RIYADH: King Abdulaziz Racecourse opens its gates this week for the biggest meeting of the season so far, with four races worth almost $266,500 (SAR1 million) on Friday headlined by the Listed Crown Prince Cup.
Runners from The Saudi Cup will be in action over a packed weekend, with several key two-year-old races to be staged and a return to racing on turf ahead of Saudi Arabia’s first international Group 1 on the surface next February — the Howden Neom Turf Cup.
The Listed Crown Prince Cup features a full field of 20 and gives Argentinean import, the 110-rated Intense For Me (ARG), another chance to prove himself upped to 2,400m after his comeback fourth in October.
A winner of the G1 Gran Premio Carlos Pellegrini in his homeland over this distance, the four-year-old finished at the back of the field in The Saudi Cup on his debut here in February but could flourish upped in trip after his most recent effort over 2,000m behind the reopposing Haqeet (USA).
Wootton’sun (FR) was eighth in The Saudi Cup and the course-and-distance winner of this race last year impressed on his comeback success over 2,000m under Ricardo Ferreira. He looks to retain the title for the Red Stable of Prince Faisal Bin Khaled Bin Abdulaziz, which has four runners including last month’s Eastern Governance Region Cup hero and Crown Prince Cup runner-up in 2024, Jack Red Cloud (IRE).
Sixteen runners have been declared for the 2,400m domestic Group 1 Crown Prince Cup limited to Local Bred horses and the two leading owners dominate the 2025 renewal, with the White Stable of King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz & Sons and the Red Stable set to send out four runners apiece.
British Champion Jockey Oisin Murphy jets into Riyadh to partner White Stable’s Aelam Beladi (KSA), with their main hope appearing to be recent course-and-distance winner, Almaqam (KSA). The Red Stables’ big chance may lie with the Ferreira-ridden Tahzeem (KSA), a dual winner here over the trip.
The other two races on Friday each carrying a purse of $266,500 are juvenile events over 1,600m — the HRH Prince Faisal Bin Khalid bin Abdulaziz Cup and the Princess Setah Bint Fahad Aldamer Cup.
The latter for the fillies sees Murphy aboard the White Stables’ Laha Alhaybah (KSA) and they have strong hand with three runners headed by Camilo Ospina’s top-rated mount Taqaarir (KSA), last seen landing the Taif Cup Local Bred Fillies Open in September.
In the HRH Prince Faisal Bin Khalid bin Abdulaziz Cup, Red Stable has the highest rated in King Khalid Military Academy Cup fourth Raei Althaminah (KSA), and he will take on the third from that race, Bono (KSA), who goes for White Stable and Murphy.
However, they also have an unexposed contender in Reda Al Aziz (KSA) for Ospina, who had Bono back in third when scoring on his only start in Taif in September by four lengths.
On Saturday, $200,000 is available for four individual races all staged under the banner of the GCC Horse Owners Cups.
There is one race for two-year-olds of both genders over 1,200m, one each for older fillies and colts/geldings over 1,600m and one for purebred Arabian horses over 1,400m.
The latter sees the prolific Baseqm And Bake (USA) take on Jade De Faust (FR) again after he finished second to her in the Taif Spring Championship, while familiar thoroughbred names in Defunded (USA), Final Destination (GB), The King’s General (IRE), Waqtuk (USA), Uncle (GB) and the Red Stable representative Zefzaf (USA) feature in race 11 for the colts and geldings.
Two races will take place on grass this Friday, marking its first use this season — the opening 1,600m Handicap sponsored by Kinza and the 2,100m handicap staged as race four over 2,100m sponsored by Saudia.
