Golden Vekoma

Japanese-based horses had taken three of the first five renewals of the G3 Saudi Derby and went within a half-length of a fourth, and for the majority of Saturday's 1600-meter contest, it appeared they might add to that record. But although he required most of the long straight at King Abdulaziz Racetrack, Dubai raider Golden Vekoma (Vekoma) called on his class to grab Japan's dirt debutant Shin Forever (Complexity) with just under 100 meters to race and inched away to add to his prior success in the G3 UAE 2000...

RIYADH, KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA -- Fourteen horses with Grade I or Group 1 form from America, Argentina, Dubai, Hong Kong, Japan and even Uruguay will take their chance at the winner's share of the $20-million gross purse for the world's richest horse race, Saturday's G1 Saudi Cup at King Abdulaziz Racecourse. And few of them are without some sort of chance. Susumu Fujita's Forever Young (Jpn) (Real Steel {Jpn}) returns to the Saudi capital 12 months on from a last-lunge success in the G3 Saudi Derby and looks to...

Golden Vekoma (Vekoma) stretched out to the metric mile following up on his sound success in the UAE 2000 Guineas Trial over 1400 meters on Jan. 3, wrested command with about a furlong and a half to travel and held off the well-fancied Heart of Honor (Honor A.P.) to take out Friday's G3 UAE 2000 Guineas at Meydan. Drawn 13 in a full field of 16, the bay colt bounced well enough from out wide and took up a position just ahead of midfield as dirt debutant High Season (GB)...

It's been a torrid beginning to 2025 for champion freshman sire Vekoma, who racked up yet another potentially important horse when Golden Vekoma ran out a good-looking winner of Friday's UAE 2000 Guineas Trial Sponsored by Kentucky Derby, a 1400-meter contest run under allowance conditions at Meydan. Making his first start since finishing a distant third in a 1600-meter maiden Dec. 6, the bay colt broke running from a double-digit gate and parked right off the speed in a three-wide third, then dropped down into the two path when the...