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| Staff Writer |
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Guillermo Arizkorreta, Spain's dominant force with 13 championship titles, is launching another assault on Saudi riches with Alcaraz in the US$500,000 Saudi International Handicap presented by NHC.
The Madrid maestro, making his third consecutive appearance at the prestigious fixture, brings forward his strongest challenger yet. His previous raid with Sir Roque yielded a creditable fourth in 2023, setting the stage for this year's ambitious venture.
Alcaraz, previously conditioned by French handler Jean-Claude Rouget, carries Spanish hopes in the 2100-metre contest against a cosmopolitan field featuring runners from Bahrain, Qatar, Italy, Saudi Arabia and the Czech Republic.
"The International Handicap is a very good idea for Part II countries," Arizkorreta reflected. "They give us a chance to win big prize money and advertise ourselves, so we are very grateful."
The Spanish conditioner's global outlook has seen him targeting prime opportunities beyond his homeland's 80 annual fixtures. "Coming to Saudi has been very good and we have been very well looked after, always. It has always been a very good experience so it will be great to win one year."
His international prowess stems from an impressive apprenticeship under Luca Cumani in Britain, Con Collins in Ireland and compatriot Carlos Laffon-Parias in France. These foundations have borne fruit with notable successes, including a Group-race double in Germany and a triumphant raid on St Moritz's ice track.
"I try to travel as much as possible and I have a few horses in Dubai at the moment," he elaborated. "We go to France, which isn't far, a lot and we try and compete abroad as much as possible."
Celebrating a milestone 1,000th winner earlier this year, Arizkorreta remains hungry for more: "It was quite a big number, especially given the number of races we have here in Spain. I was very happy to get to that mark, and I hope to get to 2000 a bit quicker!"
Alcaraz, a 6YO progeny of Intello, partners with former British champion Silvestre de Sousa in Riyadh on February 22. "The horse came to me last year with some good form in France," noted the trainer. "He has been running alright in Spain and he seems in good form and I hope he runs well."
The Spanish champion's international ventures span multiple countries including Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Britain and annual forays to Morocco. "I have always wanted to explore and I have good clients who want to invest a bit of money so if we have a horse good enough to try abroad then we will," he concluded.