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| Sumita Pawar |
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This Saturday, there will be a high-class day of racing at King Khalid Racecourse in Ta'if, featuring two SAR1m Listed contests, the Prince Abdullah Alfaisal Cup and the King Faisal Cup for Purebred Arabians. Among the competitors will be Commissioner King, last year's Gr.3 Saudi Derby winner, who is returning to action.
Last season, Commissioner King, a gelding owned by FMQ Stables, managed to win three out of his four starts. His final victory was in the Saudi Derby, which earned him USD$1.5 million. This year, Commissioner King will be racing in the 1600m SAR500,000 Ta'if Cup Presented by Boutique Group. Luis Morales, his usual rider, will guide him through this race. The Ta'if Cup features four high stakes races on the day.
Speaking about Commissioner King’s win in the Saudi Derby, owner Faisal Mohammed Al Alqahtani said, “It was a historic night. A night that I’ll never forget.”Next, he elaborated on the preparations of Commissioner King for his upcoming return this season and discussed his plans for the future.
“We have a special programme for him. He was off for six months, and he has been training gradually since the beginning of the Ta’if season, but to get fully fit he has to race.
“Most horses start their season in allowance races and then go to the Cups, but these are regular horses. He’s way above that.
“Saturday’s race is a Cup that of course we want to win, but it’s not the target. We’re taking in this race to get him fit before Riyadh. Then we have some Cup races planned for him before he goes to The Saudi Cup.
“If you go back to Commissioner King’s debut in Ta’if, he ran a fabulous race, so I think he loves the track.”
Asfan Al Khalediah continues to reign supreme with another victory at the Gr.2 Al Mneefah Cup on Saudi Cup weekend
Asfan Al Khalediah, one of the Saudi Cup winners from last season, emerged victorious in the Gr.2 Al Mneefah Cup on Saudi Cup weekend. He also won the King Faisal Cup last season and has started this season with a win.
He aims to maintain his perfect record of eight wins out of eight in the Listed Prince Abdullah Alfaisal Cup over 2000m. Meanwhile, Athbah Stables hopes to shine in the other Listed race, the King Faisal Cup, with their horse Foo De Pine.
The horse recently moved to UK-based trainer Phil Collington from the stables in Saudi Arabia run by Argentine Lucas Gaitan. A win by Foo De Pine on Saturday would mark Collington's first victory in Saudi Arabia.
Philip Collington, said, “I’ve known Lucas since he started training for Athbah and we’ve had a good relationship with horses passing from UK to Saudi and vice versa. With his owner Prince Abdulaziz bin Ahmed being from Saudi Arabia, he’s obviously keen to have runners in all the big cup races.
“Foo De Pine came to me as a 2YO from the owner’s stud in France. He was broken-in in the UK last year and then won a race in Belgium this July before he came out to Saudi Arabia. He won over 1200m last time out and has a lot of speed. At the moment 1600m would probably be far enough for him.
“We’ve had winners in eight countries now, so to win in Saudi Arabia and Ta’if would be great. I actually brought a horse out for the King Faisal Cup last season, but unfortunately he didn’t make the race.
“In the last few years, since the Al Mneefah has been added, the programme for Arabian horses in Saudi has got so big. The Obaiya and the Al Mneefah are both very important races.”
This upcoming Saturday's races will include the 2000m Okaz Cup, worth SAR700,000. The race features Media Storm, a son of Frankel trained by US trainer Jimmy Jerkens, who is aiming for his biggest win since moving to train in Saudi Arabia this summer. Additionally, there will be two 2YO cup races over 1400m, the Ta'if Cup and Ta'if Cup Presented by Sports Boulevard, both worth SAR400,000. Lastly, there is the SAR500,000 Ta'if Cup presented by Altanfeethi, which is for 3YO and run over 1600m.