Oisin Murphy at King Abdulaziz Racecourse, credit: Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia //Ali AlZenaidi
Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia
British champion jockey Oisin Murphy in action
King Abdulaziz Racecourse throws open its doors this week for the biggest meeting of the season so far with four races worth SAR 1,000,000 on Friday culminating in the Listed Crown Prince Cup.
Saudi Cup runners will be in action during a weekend of intrigue, which will see several key races for two-year-olds and also a return to racing on artificial turf ahead of Saudi Arabia’s first international Group 1 on surface in February next year – the Howden Neom Turf Cup.
The Listed Crown Prince Cup features a full field of 20 and gives Argentine import the 110-rated Intense For Me (ARG) another chance to prove itself over 2400 meters after its comeback in fourth in October.
The four-year-old, winner of the G1 Gran Premio Carlos Pellegrini in his homeland over this distance, finished at the back of the field in the Saudi Cup on his debut here in February but thrived in the trip after his most recent effort over 2000m behind the returning Haqeet (USA).
Wootton’sun (FR) finished eighth in the Saudi Cup and the course and distance winner of this race last year impressed with his comeback success in the 2000 meters under Ricardo Ferreira. He looks to retain the title for Prince Faisal Bin Khaled Bin Abdulaziz’s Red Stable, which has four runners, including hero of last month’s Eastern Governance Region Cup and 2024 Crown Prince Cup runner-up Jack Red Cloud (IRE).
Sixteen runners have been declared for the 2400m domestic Group 1 Crown Prince Cup, limited to locally bred horses, and the two leading owners will dominate the 2025 renewal, with King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz & Sons’ White Stable and the Red Stable each fielding four runners.
British champion jockey, Oisin Murphy, flies to Riyadh to team up with White Stable’s Aelam Beladi (KSA), with the main hope being recent course and distance winner Almaqam (KSA), while the big opportunity for the Red Stables may lie with Ferreira-ridden Tahzeem (KSA) – a double winner here on the trip.
The other two races on Friday, raising SAR 1,000,000, are youth events over 1600 meters – the HRH Prince Faisal Bin Khalid Bin Abdulaziz Cup and the Princess Setah Bint Fahad Aldamer Cup.
The latest for the fillies sees Murphy aboard White Stables’ Laha Alhaybah (KSA) and they have a strong hand with three riders led by Camilo Ospina’s top-rated horse Taqaarir (KSA) – last seen at the Taif Cup Local Bred Fillies Open in September.
In the HRH Prince Faisal Bin Khalid Bin Abdulaziz Cup, Red Stable has the highest score in the King Khalid Military Academy Cup, fourth Raei Althaminah (KSA), and will face the third of that race, Bono (KSA), who goes ahead of White Stable and Murphy.
However, they also have an unknown contender in Reda Al Aziz (KSA) ahead of Ospina, who had Bono back in third when he scored by four lengths on his only start at Taif in September.
On Saturday, SAR750,000 will be available for four individual races, all held under the banner of the GCC Horse Owners Cups.
There is one race for two-year-olds of both sexes over 1200 metres, one for older fillies and colts/geldings over 1600 meters and one for purebred Arabian horses over 1400 metres.
The latter sees the prolific Baseqm And Bake (USA) take on Jade De Faust (FR) again after finishing second in the Taif Spring Championship, while well-known thoroughbred names in Defunded (USA), Final Destination (GB), The King’s General (IRE), Waqtuk (USA), Uncle (GB) and Red Stable representative Zefzaf (USA) feature in race 11 for the stallions and geldings.
This Friday there will be two races on grass, which will be the first time this season: the opening 1600m Handicap, sponsored by Kinza, and the 2100m Handicap, held as race four over 2100m, sponsored by Saudia.
Watch all the action live here: Live stream or here DAZN
For more information please visit www.jcsa.sa
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