King Abdulaziz Racecourse

The world's richest horse race will serve as a qualifier for the richest race in North America, as the Feb. 22 $20-million G1 Saudi Cup joins the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In, offering an automatic berth to the $7-million GI Longines Breeders' Cup Classic at Del Mar. As part of the benefits of the Challenge Series, Breeders' Cup will pay the entry fees for the winner of the Saudi Cup to start in the Breeders' Cup Classic. Also on the Feb. 22 card, the $2-million G2 Riyadh...

RIYADH, KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA -- Making his first appearance in the International Jockeys' Challenge on the eve of the Saudi Cup meeting at King Abdulaziz Racecourse, journeyman jockey Muhammad Aldaham became the first homegrown rider to take out the competition, amassing a total of 30 points with victories in the first two legs of the series. Australia's Rachel King finished on 25 points to finish second ahead of James McDonald, whose 21 points was achieved in three races, owing to the scratching of his ride in race three of...

When Iowa-bred Cyclone State (McKinzie) breaks out of the starting gate for Saturday's $1.5-million G3 Saudi Derby, part of the Saudi Cup undercard at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh, odds are that the loudest cheers will be emanating from halfway across the world at the Iowa State University (ISU) Equine Farm. That is where the colt, bred by Allen Poindexter, was born on April 29, 2022. It's an evening foaling that Nikki Ferwerda, a faculty member of the ISU Animal Science department and manager of the university's equine facilities, still...

World Pool returns this weekend with 14 races across meetings in Saudi Arabia, Australia, and Hong Kong, with the world's richest race, the $20-million G1 Saudi Cup the jewel in the crown. Hong Kong Horse of the Year Romantic Warrior (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) will be trying dirt for the first time in that 1800-metre affair. The globally commingled pools powered by the Hong Kong Jockey Club will be in operation for the third time on Saudi Cup Day, with seven races set to be globally commingled. In 2024, a total...

RIYADH, KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA -- There is almost no rainfall on an annual basis in the Saudi capital, but there was a flood of equine activity almost as soon as the clock struck seven on a cool Wednesday morning at King Abdulaziz. That is because a good many of the international raiders for Saturday's Saudi Cup meeting took to the main track almost as one, causing a real stir--in one case, a bit of a scare. The Noboru Takagi-trained Ushba Tesoro (Jpn) (Orfevre {Jpn}) (inside) and Wilson Tesoro (Jpn)...

After fielding a team of four for last year's $20-million G1 Saudi Cup, a maximum of three horses and as few as just one horse already on the ground in Riyadh, could make up the American challenge for the 2025 renewal to be contested Saturday, Feb. 22 at King Abdulaziz Racetrack on the outskirts of the Saudi capital. Three of the four horses that took part in last year's running were each possible for a return trip, but none will ultimately travel. Last year's winner Senor Buscador (Mineshaft) was to...

In one of the most intriguing international clashes of the year, Hong Kong Horse of the Year and recent G1 Jebel Hatta hero Romantic Warrior (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) and 2024 G1 Dubai World Cup victor Laurel River (Into Mischief) will likely face off in the $20-million G1 Saudi Cup at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh on Saturday, Feb. 22. Joining them will be Japanese Group 1 winner Forever Young (Jpn) (Real Steel {Jpn}), who won the G3 Saudi Derby alongside placed runs in the GI Kentucky Derby and GI Breeders'...

The G1 Saudi Cup hero from a year ago, Senor Buscador, will aim to continue the legacy of his sire Horse of the Year Mineshaft at Lane's End as he stands for $7,500 LFSN, the farm said via a press release on Friday. Bred in Kentucky by Joe R. Peacock, Sr. and Joey Peacock, Jr., Senor Buscador retires from racing with $12,944,427 in earnings and was trained by Todd Fincher. The 7-year-old had shipped last week to Gulfstream Park where he was set to make another start in the GI...

Recently-crowned Longines World's Best Jockey James McDonald has been confirmed in the line-up for the 2025 International Jockeys' Challenge (IJC) at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh on Friday, February 21. It will mark the first time the globetrotting New Zealander, who has ridden 106 Group 1 winners in Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Britain and Japan, has competed in Saudi Arabia. McDonald's participation in the IJC will also give him valuable experience of the Riyadh track, the day before bidding for glory aboard Hong Kong champion Romantic Warrior (Ire) (Acclamation...

Last year, owner Joey Peacock, trainer Todd Fincher and jockey Junior Alvarado were on cloud nine when Senor Buscador (Mineshaft) finished as a game runner-up in the GI Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park. However, that was only the beginning because when the homebred rolled late--downright tardy--to take the G1 Saudi Cup the revels were in full effect more than half a world away. With so much success then, it would stand to reason that trying to pull off another shot at the Pegasus-Saudi Cup double would be the move....

The two-day $38.1-million Saudi Cup meeting nominations at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh on Feb. 21-22 were released by the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia on Friday. A total of 81 Grade/Group 1 winners are among the 1,123 entries from 21 countries that have stepped up, with Hong Kong Horse of the Year Romantic Warrior (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) throwing his hat in the ring for the $20-million G1 Saudi Cup. (Click here for an in depth dive into the nominations for the Saudi Cup, G3 Saudi Derby, and G2 Riyadh...

The Sports Boulevard Riyadh Dirt Sprint and Longines Red Sea Turf Handicap will be run as Group 2 contests for the first time in 2025, it was announced by the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia (JCSA) on Sunday. Both races take place during the Saudi Cup meeting, which is scheduled for Saturday, February 22 as part of the 2024/25 Riyadh season. The Riyadh Dirt Sprint, won this year by Japanese raider Remake (Jpn) (Lani), will see its prize-money boosted by $500,000 to $2 million, while the Red Sea Turf Handicap,...