Spirit Dancer

Sir Alex Ferguson was back in Britain by Monday after enjoying a second major international victory with his homebred Spirit Dancer (GB) at the Saudi Cup meeting in Riyadh. "It's been fantastic. He's an improving horse. As a younger horse he had some issues but now he seems to be getting better every year," Ferguson told TDN.  "In his races in Bahrain and Saudi there was no catching him. There's no end to him at the moment. The next question is can he go a mile and four furlongs? That...

A passion that was held against him by some, 20 years ago, has given Sir Alex Ferguson a new universe of pleasure. They say there are no second acts in the lives of the famous - but you would have disputed that after seeing the former Manchester United manager's Spirit Dancer (GB) win the Howden Neom Turf Cup in Riyadh on Saturday night. Ferguson's greatest thrill as a manager was to spot and develop young talent. David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and the Neville brothers were products of Ferguson's...

A properly international Saudi Cup meeting saw the major races claimed by stables from  Japan, America, Britain and Ireland. A clash with two rugby internationals will have had plenty of viewers indulging in some channel-hopping, but for some of racing's most crucial workers - those on stud farms - the work can't just be put aside for an afternoon on the sofa. Such was the case for Greg and Lottie Parsons of Upperwood Farm Stud in Hertfordshire, who had a "36-hour day" on Saturday, having been up all night foaling....

Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has long been a racehorse owner but he has also become immersed in the breeding world since his retirement from football. On Saturday, his homebred Spirit Dancer (GB) (Frankel {GB}), who Ferguson races in partnership with Ged Mason and Peter Done, lines up in the $2-million G2 Howden Neom Turf Cup on the Saudi Cup undercard. The seven-year-old, trained by Richard Fahey, has been wintering in the Middle East, where he won the G2 Bahrain International Trophy in November before finishing fourth in...

The Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia (JCSA) has released the names of the 1162 entries--including 41 Grade I/Group 1 winners--from no fewer than 15 racing jurisdictions around the world for the US$33.5 million Saudi Cup meeting to be held at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024. Prize money is up by $2.25 million as compared to the 2023 renewal, reflecting the upgrades of the Neom Turf Cup (2100mT) and 1351 Turf Sprint to international Group 2 status. One of the two races for Purebred Arabians--the Al Mneefah...

In the pantheon of the promotional stakes, the Sir Alex Ferguson-owned Spirit Dancer (GB) (Frankel {GB}) winning the $1 million G2 Bahrain International Trophy would have ranked pretty highly as a dream result for everyone associated with this relatively new race.  To have one of the most recognisable sporting figures in the world in attendance all week was something, but for Spirit Dancer to play with his rivals in a similar fashion to some of the best teams Ferguson assembled at the helm of Manchester United exceeded all expectations.  You...

Charlie Appleby says Nations Pride (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) will line out in Friday's $1m Bahrain International Trophy with a favourite's chance but admitted that stall 12 could make things tricky for the dual Group 1 winner as Godolphin ready a five-strong team for the Group 2 contest. Last seen winning the G1 Canadian International in October, Nations Pride will be joined by stablemate Highland Avenue (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), with William Buick opting to ride the former in his bid to win the race for a first time. Appleby said, "Nations...