By Alan Carasso
RIYADH, KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA — For the second time in the last three runnings, America's reigning champion sprinter dominated in the desert, as MyRacehorse's Straight No Chaser (Speightster) asserted in the final furlong to prove a much-the-best winner of the Riyadh Dirt Sprint. The 1200-meter dash was upgraded to Group 2 status for the first time, had its purse hiked to $2 million and just this past Friday was named a 'Win and You're In' qualifier for the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint. Champion Elite Power (Curlin) won the 2023 Riyadh Dirt Sprint.
It was that event at Del Mar nearly four months ago that capped off a championship season for Straight No Chaser, and the ownership group quickly decided on a trip to the Middle East at the front end of the season. The first part of that plan came together brilliantly on Saturday.
Away alertly from the nine hole, the $110,000 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic breezer led through the opening exchanges, but was soon overhauled by the bald face of the speedy Japanese galloper Jasper Krone (Frosted) and raced underneath that rival into the turn.
A horse with a well-documented 'light mouth', Straight No Chaser was under an easy hold traveling extremely well entering the final 400 meters and, as is his custom, he finished off his race with gusto en route to a convincing victory. The locally based Muqtahem (Ire) (Soldier's Call {GB}) raced reasonably handy to the pace and claimed second ahead of Japan's Gabby's Sister (Jpn) (Apollo Kingdom) in third.
“He broke really well and I was actually, after Jasper Krone came up on the outside, going to see if I could get him back a little bit and tried to grab him,” explained winning jockey John Velazquez. “He started to fight me, so I just said, 'OK, I'll leave him alone' and then he relaxed a little better. He broke so sharp and I was trying to get loose reins.
Then he was looking for the bit and I didn't want to touch him. I just wanted him to relax. All of a sudden [Jasper Krone] took back a little bit and my horse engaged and I said, 'Let's go'. Turning for home he was moving really well and then passing the sixteenth pole he idled a little bit and started looking around and I said, 'Oh no, no idling here' and he finished up well.”
Added winning trainer Dan Blacker: “I'm just really proud of the horse and I'm glad he gets to prove himself on the global stage against the fastest horses in the world.”
Straight No Chaser will in all likelihood get to take his show on the road to Dubai, where a potentially mouthwatering clash looms with defending champion Tuz (Oxbow) in the G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen Apr. 5.
Pedigree Notes:
The lone elite-level scorer for his sadly departed stallion, Straight No Chaser is one of six winners from eight to race from his dam, who is also responsible for the stakes-winning Hangover Saturday. Third dam Desireux was a half-sister to champion sprinter Housebuster (Mt. Livermore). Margarita Friday is the dam of a 2-year-old colt by Omaha Beach, a yearling colt by Practical Joke and was most recently covered by Authentic.
Saturday, King Abdulaziz (Riyadh), Saudi Arabia
RIYADH DIRT SPRINT-G2, $2,000,000, King Abdulaziz, 2-22, NH/SH3yo/up, 1200m, 1:11.16, ft.
1–STRAIGHT NO CHASER, 125, h, 6, by Speightster
1st Dam: Margarita Friday, by Johannesburg
2nd Dam: Smile Maker, by Capote
3rd Dam: Desireux, by Fappiano
($110,000 2yo '21 FTIMAY). O-My Racehorse; B-John Eaton &
Steve Laymon (KY); T-Dan Blacker; J-John Velazquez;
$1,200,000. Lifetime Record: Ch. Male Sprinter-US, GISW-US,
11-7-0-1, $2,616,300. *1/2 to Hangover Saturday (Pomeroy),
SW-US, $106,875. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or the
free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Muqtahem (Ire), 125, g, 4, Soldier's Call (GB)–Smooth Sailing
(GB), by Bated Breath (GB). 1ST BLACK TYPE. 1ST GROUP
BLACK TYPE. (£27,000 Ylg '22 GOFAUG; £60,000 2yo '23
GOFAPR). O-Sheikh Abdullah Homoud Almalek Alsabah;
B-Ballyhane (Ire); T-Thamer Aldaihani; J-Muhammad Aldaham;
$400,000.
3–Gabby's Sister (Jpn), 121, f, 4, Apollo Kingdom–Ange d'Etoile
(Jpn), by Special Week (Jpn). O-Kazuhiko Nagashima; B-Apollo
Thoroughbred Club (Jpn); T-Kazutomo Mori; J-Christophe
Lemaire; $200,000.
Margins: 3 3/4, HF, 3.
Also Ran: Halaa, Saodad (KSA), Ancestral Land (GB), Remake (Jpn), Power Of Beauty (Ire), Jasper Krone, Chikappa (Jpn), Igniter (Jpn), Nonesense.
HOW IMPRESSIVE WAS STRAIGHT NO CHASER?!?!
He did not mess around in the $2,000,000 Riyadh Dirt Sprint (G2) at @TheSaudiCup. @dan_blacker trains the @MyRacehorse stallion. @ljlmvel piloted him perfectly. Congrats to all the connections!
Play the next: https://t.co/ebKi95dING pic.twitter.com/dvbN7cO4Z7
— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) February 22, 2025
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