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| Staff Writer |
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Renowned US trainer Jimmy Jerkens is anticipating the participation of numerous horses from HRH Prince Faisal Bin Khaled Bin Abdulaziz’s Red Stable during the upcoming months of the Taif season, commencing today at King Khaled Racecourse.
“I’m always looking for some action, so I’m looking forward to it,” Jerkens said.
“We’ve put a couple in for the first day, but most of the others will need another work or two to be ready. There are two ways of looking at that, on one hand you don’t think you’re quite ready but on the other hand, everyone else is in the same boat.”
Jerkens will be fielding the 3YO filly Bint Alreeh (USA) in the third race today, which is a maiden race over 1200m, and Alrahy, a 4YO colt, will also be competing in a maiden race over 1600m.
This marks Jerkens’ second season training in Saudi Arabia following his move from the US in 2023. He is optimistic about the upcoming campaign, particularly with the addition of an exciting new recruit to the Red Stable.
“It’s easier [than last season]. There are a couple of two-year-olds that have come in and there’s a 3YO that they’ve bought that I’m excited about, a horse called Tireless.
He only won one race back home for [Todd] Pletcher but he was a U$850,000 yearling. I think he’s the ideal horse for Saudi, because he’s three and he’s only run four or five times. If he takes to it here, he might really be a star.
“You always want to have horses in the big races, but it’s tough to get a really good one.”
A number of Jerkens' well-known stable stars, such as Derevo and My Frankel, are anticipated to make appearances in Taif in the upcoming months. However, Grocer Jack is expected to make his reappearance during the Riyadh turf season.
“My Frankel ran so well last year – he ran three bang up races for us in Riyadh. At his age he probably doesn’t want to be racing too much and the ideal thing would probably be to run him once here and then go to Riyadh.
We’ll probably start Derevo off here. We went to run him here last year, but he got sick on us, and we had to throw the whole season out here. We’d like to run him a couple of times.
“Grocer Jack has pretty much proven he’s strictly a turf horse. His first time on dirt was good but he ran terrible the next time, so last year, we kind of decided with the turf season coming up, and his rating still high enough, to have a go. He ended up winning the Neom Turf Cup Trial, and then he ran very well in the Neom.”
The new Taif season showcases a streamlined program of 39 race meetings, featuring a total of 351 races. This season, there is an emphasis on promoting more competitive racing through an increase in handicaps.
Furthermore, there have been modifications to the racing surface in Taif. Jerkens is of the opinion that the track at King Khaled Racecourse has undergone improvements since the previous season.
“I know they’ve added a lot of material to it, and it’s given it a better cushion. I think the track is in perfect shape this year and it will be just right for everybody.
“I like it because it’s not as fast as Riyadh, but it’s not as slow as it was last year, which is good. I would say, judging by the breezes in the morning, it takes a decent horse to work 50/10 for 800m, which is perfect. Last year they were falling on their head doing 52.”
Thanks to its high altitude, Taif, the summer venue of the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia, enjoys significantly cooler temperatures compared to the rest of the country. Jerkens is definitely enjoying the cooler climate.
“When we left Riyadh is was around 46C each day, so it was time to get out of there! It’s much cooler in Taif, it’s very pleasant in the mornings and the evenings and I don’t think it’s been over 35C here yet. Here 35C feels like 30C back home because there’s no humidity.”