Mickael Barzalona landed a hat-trick of victories at King Abdulaziz Racecourse on the eve of the Saudi Cup to clinch not just the International Jockeys' Challenge but also the valuable Saudi International Handicap.
With the first two legs of the four-race jockeys' contest having been won by Britain's Saffie Osborne and German Derby-winning rider Nina Baltromei, the Frenchman ensured the spoils would be his by taking the final two heats on the turf. Barzalona's victory aboard Year Of The Dragon in round four came at the expense of Norwegian-born Frida Valle-Skar, whose consistent performances throughout the competition earned her enough to take the runner-up spot overall, with Osborne in third in the final standings.
“The way we ride on the dirt is completely different and the way you actually ride here is different, which makes the races very attractive, as well. It is great to be here,” said Barzalona.
Valle-Skar, who is generally based in France, added, “It feels amazing, I'm really happy. When I got the draw I was quite happy with my horses and I was proved to be right.
“I had not ridden on the dirt for 10 years, the last time was in Texas. It's good to learn and to take this back to France.”
The competition may have been over but Barzalona was straight back to business for the next race of the night and guided the Saad Aljenade-trained Frankel gelding Gran Descans to glory for King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz & Sons in the $500,000 Saudi International Handicap. The race is reserved for runners trained in nations in Part II of the IFHA's Blue Book.
Barzalona said of the Juddmonte-bred winner, “Last time [finishing third in the Prince Khalid Abdullah Cup], I gave him a chance to [gather himself] because he was slow from the gate, but today I knew he had the stamina, so I got him going as quick as I can.
“He travelled very well for me. We didn't go that fast, but it was a reasonable gallop. When I asked him to lengthen, he actually picked up gradually and stayed strong to the line.”
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
