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 for the biggest meeting of the season so far this week with four races worth SAR1,000,000 on Friday headlined by the Listed Crown Prince Cup.
Runners from The Saudi Cup will be in action in the feature on a weekend packed with intrigue, as several key two-year-old races will be staged and there is also 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 2400m 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 2000m 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 2000m 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 2400m 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), while 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 carrying a purse of SAR1,000,000 are juvenile events over 1600m – 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 SAR750,000 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 1200m, one each for older fillies and colts/geldings over 1600m and one for Purebred Arabian Horses over 1400m.
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 1600m Handicap Sponsored by Kinza and the 2100m Handicap staged 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
