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| Rowan Anderson |
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Havnameltdown came to Saudi to take out the Derby for trainer Bob Baffert and before gates open firmed up as odds on favourite.
However breaking hearts on the line was the locally-trained colt Commissioner King to applauds from the crowd and getting the job done.
It was an absolute thriller in the Group Three Saudi Derby presented by Boutique Group, as the Commissioner x Ek Haseena product left it all on the track in a ding dong battle and taking the victory where it truly counted, in the final few strides.
Frankie Dettori on board Havnameltdown tried to hold out the challenge from Luis Morales turning the two horse fight into a true equine street fight.
From the gates Dettori bounced out well but his stamina was truly tested as he was yet to race beyond 1400m.
The winner trained by Sabah Alshammri had been lightly-raced having been acquired from America but resold at the JCSA Sale in Saudi Arabia and campaigned domestically.
He had warmed up for this $1.5 million prize with a stylish win over the same course and distance in December.
Abdulaziz Alyousef, representing the winner’s owners FMQ Stable said that the race would be remembered for a long time.
"That was history. You will never see a better duel between two amazing horses like it. That will be watched over and over for a very long time.
"He is the first horse that we bought at FMQ Stables for the owner Faisal Mohammed Alqahtani and he has won the Derby! It is beyond our wildest dreams! He has beaten Bob Baffert and the Japanese horses, people who don’t come here to compete, they come to win.
"The plan was to be close to Havnameltdown and try to test him in the straight. We felt he would run well but we weren’t optimistic enough to think he would win. It is just amazing."
Hoop Luis Morales said that he was proud of the performance from his mount.
"What a tough horse. It was an honour to ride in a race like that and to come out on top is just the best. He was so tough, he kept wanting it and we got there at the line."
Having finished second on Havnameltdown, legendary jockey Frankie Dettori commented.
"After speaking to Bob, I tried to nurse his speed – he has tonnes of speed. I tried to save as much as I could, we got into a duel, but unfortunately in the last 50 yards, it ran out. He was absolutely knackered, he put on a great show and he was very brave. It’s a shame it wasn’t 7/8ths [of a mile] but this is life."