Saudi Cup

Sealiway (Fr) (Galiway {GB}) will begin what connections hope is the start of a "big international campaign" in the US$20-million G1 Saudi Cup on Feb. 26. It will mean a switch to dirt for the last-out G1 QIPCO Champion S. winner--trained by Cedric Rossi--but with the race elevated to Group 1 status in just its second year and maintaining its position as the most valuable in the world, the positives far outweigh the negatives. A top-level winner as a juvenile, Sealiway finished second to St Mark's Basilica (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr})...

Group 1-winning stayer Princess Zoe (Ger) (Jukebox Jury {Ire}) will point toward the Red Sea Turf H. on the Saudi Cup card on Feb. 26, with connections deciding against a winter campaign over hurdles. Princess Zoe made a remarkable rise through the ranks last year after joining Irish trainer Tony Mullins, climbing from an official rating of 64 at the beginning of the season to 110 at the end, when she won the G1 Prix du Cadran at ParisLongchamp. Though Princess Zoe went winless in five starts this campaign, she...

In addition to the previously announced allocation of Group 1 status to the $20-million Saudi Cup and Group 3 status to five undercard Thoroughbred races, the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia revealed in a press conference on Thursday some key purse increases for undercard races. The 2022 Saudi Cup meeting, which will take place on Feb. 25 and 26, will be worth $35.1-million, making it the world's richest race meeting. Prizemoney for the G3 Neom Turf Cup and the G3 1351 Turf Sprint have each been boosted by $500,000, and...

Saudi Arabia's $20-million Saudi Cup has been awarded Group 1 status beginning in 2022 it was announced during Monday's virtual meeting of the Executive Council of the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA). The move follows the promotion of both Saudi Arabia and Bahrain from Part III to Part II of the ICS Book by the International Grading and Race Planning Advisory Committee (IRPAC). In addition, the Neom Turf Cup, Saudi Derby, STC 1,351 Turf Sprint, Riyadh Dirt Sprint and Red Sea Turf, as well as Bahrain's Bahrain International Trophy...

Multiple Grade I winner Charlatan (Speightstown--Authenticity, by Quiet American) will stand the 2022 breeding season for a fee of $50,000 live foal stands and nurses, Hill 'n' Dale Farm announced Wednesday. Named a 'TDN Rising Star' after a tour-de-force debut victory, Charlatan went on to capture the GI Arkansas Derby and GI Runhappy Malibu S. before finishing second in the $20-million Saudi Cup in his career finale. "I have been looking forward to having this horse," said John Sikura, owner of Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa. "He is a brilliant...

Juddmonte Farms' leading 3-year-old Mandaloun (Into Mischief), most recently seen capturing the GI TVG.com Haskell S. via disqualification, has a sore foot and will likely miss the remainder of the season's major races, Juddmonte racing manager Garrett O'Rourke confirmed to TDN. The homebred will now target the 2022 Saudi Cup. "It's nothing serious, the horse just needs six weeks off, but unfortunately six weeks off at this time of year rules out some important races," O'Rourke said. The story was first reported by Daily Racing Form. O'Rourke added that the...

By the time David Egan was born Mike Smith had already won two Eclipse Awards for Outstanding Jockey. Smith is still very much at the top of his game at the age of 55, but it was the 21-year-old Egan who got the upper hand in the richest race in the world on Saturday when guiding Mishriff (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}) to an important home victory for Prince A A Faisal in the $20-million Saudi Cup. The fact that the youngster is the retained rider for such a respected international...

Three days after racking up yet another monumental win in a career chock full of them, legendary trainer John Gosden joined the TDN Writers' Room podcast presented by Keeneland Tuesday morning. Calling in via Zoom as the Green Group Guest of the Week, Gosden explained how he got Saudi Cup hero Mishriff (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}) to be as brilliant on dirt as he is on turf, what made his five-time champion Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) such a phenomenon, how his roots of training in California in the 1980s informed...

Trainer John Gosden joins this week's TDN Writers' Room fresh off a win in the Saudi Cup to talk on the newly-crowned Mishriff, relive his favorite moments with Enable and reminisce on his Californian training roots.

He did not win Saturday over in Saudi Arabia, but Charlatan (Speightstown) proved that he is undoubtedly the best dirt horse in America. That's how well he ran in his one-length defeat to Mishriff (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}) in the $20-million race. It was by no means a surprise that Charlatan and Knicks Go (Paynter) got caught up in a speed duel. Both are talented horses with abundant early speed and jockeys Joel Rosario (Knicks Go) and Mike Smith (Charlatan) rode aggressively, perhaps because neither rider wanted to see their...

According to a report on the website HorseRacingPlanet.com, winning jockey David Egan was fined $100,000 and suspended two days for excessive use of the whip when riding Mishriff (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}) to victory in the $20-million Saudi Cup Saturday. The Saudi stewards determined that Egan hit his mount 11 times, one more than the maximum allowed. Egan hit Mishriff several times in the stretch, starting out with his left hand before switching over to his right. In addition, the website reported that Mike Smith was handed a two-day suspension...

by Alan Carasso One of three Japanese raiders, Copano Kicking (Spring At Last) came with a stinging final-furlong rally in Saturday's Saudi Arabian Airlines Riyadh Dirt Sprint and was up on the wire to defeat Matera Sky (Speightstown), who dropped a similarly gut-wrenching decision to New York Central (Tapit) in the inaugural running of the event in 2020. The locally based Faz Zae (KSA) (Mizzen Mast) finished best of the rest. The fleet-footed Matera Sky jumped straight into the bridle from gate one and led along the inside, as recent...