Review: Tilal Al Khalediah Upsets Asfan Al Khalediah In The Gr.1 Dubai Kahayla Classic

However, it wasn't the unbeaten champ Asfan Al Khalediah who took the win, but his stablemate Tilal Al Khalediah, who charged away with a six and a half-length trouncing of Barakka, the runner-up for the second year in a row.

Winning trainer Nasser Mutlaq Alkahtani shared his thoughts on the race, saying, "Asfan Al Khalediah faced a lot of traffic today and went very wide. He won ten times in Saudi Arabia last year, including six Group Ones, so maybe he was a bit tired today. Tilal Al Khalediah has been quietly campaigned, so he was more fresh for today. For one year, he was sick, so he started back only in the Al Mneefah Cup in February. When the jockeys asked me last night, I told Adel that Tilal Al Khalediah looks better and that he was going to win."

Jockey Adel Al Furaydi's Gratitude For Win

Winning jockey Adel Al Furaydi expressed his gratitude, saying, "It’s a dream come true. I am very grateful to the owners and the trainers who have trusted me with such a great horse. I’d also like to thank Sheikh Mohammed and Sheikh Hamdan for the opportunity to race on such a grand stage."

Runner-up Barakka's jockey Connor Beasley was gracious in defeat, saying, "He’s the model of consistency, take nothing away from him. He travelled lovely and got beaten by a good horse. At the same time, he’s put up a good performance with some talented animals behind him. The future is very bright for him, and I can’t wait for next season."

Despite finishing fourth, jockey Adrie de Vries had some thoughts on RB Rich Lyke Me's performance, saying, "Good enough trip, he doesn’t travel anymore like he used to, and it makes it very hard work, but he finished up well."

In the end, it was a thrilling race with plenty of excitement, and the winning team of Tilal Al Khalediah, Nasser Mutlaq Alkahtani, and Adel Al Furaydi proved to be the ones to beat.