Red Sea Turf Handicap

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,...

Germany's champion trainer Henk Grewe will keep hold of his 2021 G1 Deutsches Derby winner Sisfahan (Fr) (Isfahan {Ger}), who will remain in training at five and is set to be aimed at the $2.5 million G3 Red Sea Turf Cup H. on the Saudi Cup card on February 25. "It was the plan to run him there last year, but he got injured, so it was disappointing to miss the race," said Holger Faust, racing manager to Darius Racing, who own Sisfahan with Michael Motschmann. "We've been thinking about...

There was little in Gifts Of Gold (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire})'s recent form to suggest that a win against top marathoners was on the cards, but a surface switch and the addition of cheekpieces as well as a few furlongs proved just the tonic for the Saeed bin Suroor-trained 6-year-old gelding to score an upset victory in the $2.5-million 3000 metre Red Sea Turf H. in Saudi Arabia on Saturday. Settling about two lengths off the moderate early tempo set by the defending champ and Group 1-winning stayer Call The...

The first three home in last year's Red Sea Turf Handicap have all returned to Riyadh for this $2.5 million staying contest over 3,000 metres. The trio is led by the George Strawbridge homebred Call The Wind (GB) (Frankel {GB}), whose victory over Mekong (GB) (Frankel {GB}) and Prince Of Arran (GB) (Shirocco {Ger}) was followed through the French summer with wins in the G3 Prix de Barbeville and G2 Prix Kergorlay.  Freddy Head, who arrived in Saudi in time to see the 7-year-old have an easy canter on Thursday...