The King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh is set to host the second part of the Prince Khalid bin Abdullah Cup on Saturday, which will highlight the enduring horse racing legacy of Saudi Arabia’s famed owner-breeder.
Prince Khalid was best known throughout the racing world as the founder of the breeding operation Judmonte, which produced over 200 Group 1 winners during his lifetime. The race provides an opportunity to honor and remember his long list of achievements in the sport.
Prince Bandar bin Khalid Al-Faisal, President of The Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia, said: “Prince Khalid bin Abdullah is recognized throughout the racing world as one of the biggest contributors to the development of Thoroughbred racehorses. His legacy will continue to be It took 40 years and will be remembered for more than 40 years in the future.The horses he produced and his exploits on the racecourse will forever be in the history books and our memories.
“Now in its second year, the Prince Khalid bin Abdullah Cup is our way of honoring the memory of a great racing mind and a beloved international sport that Saudi Arabia is proud of.
“Through this annual race day we want to educate racegoers about the global impact of Prince Khalid and continue to build on the quality and international exposure of the horses competing in races bearing his name.”
The approximately $266,000 (SR1 million) event will see 14 runners compete over 2100 meters on a turf course.
Leading the international challenge is Quader, trained by Fawzi Naas, who will be making his fourth start in Saudi Arabia after several promising runs last season.
Speaking on the race, the Bahrain-based trainer said: “It is an absolute pleasure to run in a race named after him (Prince Khaled).”
Kadar has reportedly worked well ahead of his first start of the season, and Naas said: “He worked yesterday and had a good jolt after his work, so I think he should be doing right.
“It is obviously a competitive race, and he is carrying top weight, but hopefully he should go well.
“Adri de Vries is going to fly to Dubai (to ride). He’s got a good draw in three so no excuses will do.
If Kadar does well on Saturday, Naas is hoping to bring him back for further races in Riyadh this season.
“The plan is to come back to race, having finished third last year, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup over 10 furlongs on the dirt on 28 January.
“Let’s get past these two hurdles and then see what happens next.”
Last year’s inaugural edition of the Prince Khalid Bin Abdullah Cup was won by Star of Wins for owner Refai Sanat Alghurban, trainer Fawaz Alghurban and jockey Camilo Ospina.
This year’s event will be an opportunity to commemorate some of Judmonte Farms’ greatest achievements, chief among them the career of now-retired British oligarch Frankel.
Born in February 2008, Frankel remained undefeated during his 14-race career and was one of the main reasons for the success of Prince Khalid bin Abdullah’s farms.
The horse was named after the famous and late American trainer Bobby Frankel, who holds the first-class race record with 25 wins in addition to 60 wins at the Hollywood Park race.
Unfortunately, Bobby died before he had a chance to witness Frankel’s incredible achievements on international tracks.
The late British trainer Henry Cecil coached the horse throughout his racing career, in which Frankel ran and won 14 races, 10 of which were first-class victories.