RIYADH: Ancestral Land (GB) was a sprinting success story last season and reemerges for a new campaign by heading a full-field of 20 runners in Saturday’s $40,000 (SR150,000) King Khalid University Cup at King Abdulaziz Racecourse.
The Red Stable of Prince Faisal Bin Khalid Bin Abdulaziz is well represented in the 1,400 meter event with three runners and the mount of Nawaf Al-Mudiani is by far the pick, having left Clive Cox in the UK before registering four wins in Riyadh last term.
His final success came with a comprehensive victory in the Dirt Sprint Qualifier in January before finishing sixth to the Breeders’ Cup winner Straight No Chaser (US) in the Group 2 Riyadh Dirt Sprint on Saudi Cup weekend.
The six-year-old will also be having his first outing for Sultan Bin Jalal having formerly been in the care of US conditioner Jimmy Jerkens.
His main dangers would appear to be Luis Morales’ mount Love De Vega (IRE), who was also progressive last season — finishing third in the 1351 Sprint Qualifier — and has his first start since winning in March, along with the Adel Al-Fouraidi-ridden Power Of Beauty (IRE), who was eighth in the Riyadh Dirt Sprint.
Saturday also features two stand-out races for three-year-olds and Camilo Ospina takes the mount of November’s impressive winner Zanaat (KSA) for the White Stable of King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz in the $40,000 Ministry of Sports Cup for fillies over 1,800 meters.
The equivalent race for colts and geldings is the 1,600 meter $40,000 Saudi Broadcasting Authorities Cup for which 17 will go to post, and Tuwajeri (IRE) is top-rated for jockey Muhammad Al-Daham, trainer Thamer Al-Daihani and owner Sheikh Abdullah Homoud Al-Malek Al-Sabah.
A competitive Open over 1,800 meters worth $32,000 rounds off Saturday’s card in which Al-Fouraidi and the Red Stable have an excellent chance with Painters Palette (IRE), who bids to follow up a recent five-and-a-quarter length victory.
Friday’s action is dominated by The Primary Champion of the Racecourses Sponsored by The JCSA — which are a series of three different races and sit alongside the Prince Fahad Bin Jalawi Cup and the Prince Abdullah Bin Jalawi Cup. All are worth a valuable $80,000.
The former is over 1,200 meters for older horses and has a field of seven headed by two highly-rated runners in Al-Daihani’s Muqtahem (IRE), who bids for a fifth win on the bounce, and Red Stable runner Zefzaf (US), who got back to winning ways on Dec. 19.
The latter race is for three-year-old fillies over 1,400 meters and features Sioux Perfect (IRE), who left Andrew Balding in the UK to join trainer Nawaf Al-Daihani and built on her underwhelming debut to score last weekend.
A maximum field has been declared for the Primary Champion of the Racecourses for four-year-old fillies over 1,800 meters topped by Ableekh (KSA) and Okht Saham (KSA), while 16 have been declared for the Purebred Arabian version of the Primary Champions race over 2,000 meters open to both sexes.
Top rated in that are Al-Komndaan (KSA) and Midhass (KSA), while Nijinski Al-Maury (FR), Saif Barzan (KSA) and Al-Kaaser (FR) are the standouts in the all-aged event over 1,800 meters.