RIYADH: Haqeet (US) will bid for a back-to-back listed double this Friday when the King Saud Cup winner goes again in the feature $80,000 King Abdulaziz Racetrack Champion.
The runner, from the White Stable of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, arrives in great form having won two of his three most recent starts including a near five-length blitz last time. His only recent defeat came at the hands of the Red Sea Turf Handicap trial winner Sayyah (US).
He takes on Thundersquall (GB) and Scotland Yard (US) who were fourth and fifth to the Saudi Cup-bound Mhally (GB) in the qualifier for that race — The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup — two weeks ago.
The Red Stable of Prince Faisal bin Khaled bin Abdulaziz are doubly represented in the final race on the card with Almaan (US) and Ricardo Ferreira’s mount Wootton’sun (FR), who ran ninth in last year’s Saudi Cup and was down the field in The Custodian last start.
Mhally’s owner Sheikh Abdullah Homoud Almalek Alsabah is also represented in the 2,000 meter highlight courtesy of last week’s UK Cup fifth Pretty Flag (IRE).
The race before is the domestic group three $80,000 King Abdulaziz Racetrack Champion for Purebred Arabian Horses, with a full field of 20 headed by the previous winner of the Sprint Championship Cup Foo De Pine (ITA) who is once again the mount of Alexis Moreno.
Race 10 is the $80,000 King Abdulaziz Racetrack Champion for fillies and mares over 1,200 meters and this looks a great opportunity for Sheikh Abdullah’s Snafiya (IRE) to return to winning ways after her excellent third in the Riyadh Dirt Sprint Qualifier.
There are three Final Champion of the Racecourses sponsored by the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia worth $80,000, the final one being for older horses over 2,000 meters as race nine.
Also, Arabian Thoroughbred Horses go to post in the preceding event over 1,800 meters and 4-year-old fillies are in action in race seven over the same distance.
Saturday is the final day of action prior to The Saudi Cup meeting on Feb. 13 and 14 and features six runners in the $80,000 Prince Saad bin Abdulrahman bin Faisal Cup over the marathon 2,400 meters.
Ospina is aboard White Stable’s Almaqam (KSA) who has won two of his last three outings over the course and distance, scoring by over 12 lengths last time in the Al-Jouf Region Governorate Cup with the reopposing Red Stable runner Ibn Laboun (KSA) back in third.
Also on Saturday is the $80,000 Prince Mohd bin Abdulraham bin Faisal Cup for 3-year-olds in which Opsina is on White Stable runner Al Tharb (US) whose winning run came to an end when fourth to Saudi Derby entry Al Haram (IRE) in the 2000 Guineas.
He again takes on Ashwas (US) who was seventh in that race but has been busy since, and last weekend dropped to 1,400 meters to win a conditions event by nearly five lengths.
Sheikh Abdullah’s pair of Gharamy (IRE) and Dance Desire (GB) were first and second in the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture Cup earlier in the month and face nine rivals in the domestic G3 Japan’s Cup, while his Uncle (GB) is top-rated in the 1,600-meter Ministry of Culture Cup.
The two most valuable races are on Thursday with two sales races sponsored by the JCSA for horses sold at auction in 2024 and the sixth and seventh events on the card are both worth $173,000.
