RB Kingmaker May Try Dirt At Seven

National Stables are considering running RB Kingmaker on a dirt or sandy surface for the first time in his competitive career, with Helal Alalawi framing the experiment as a deliberate probe of a horse who has already won Group Ones in five countries on turf.

RB Kingmaker, a seven-year-old grey Purebred Arabian, has never competed on dirt or sand. He enters the 2026–27 season after four Group One victories across five weeks in Europe — including the Gr.1 International Stakes at Goodwood on 29 July 2026 (run commercially as the Qatar International Stakes) and a Group victory at Waregem on 1 September 2026, his first appearance in Belgium. His Gulf campaign will be concentrated on Abu Dhabi Turf Club and Saudi Arabia.

“We may also take a calculated gamble by trying him on a dirt or sandy surface this season,” Alalawi said. “We know his capabilities very well, and we would like to discover how far he can progress and perform under different conditions.”

A Career Built On Turf — And A Question That Remains Unanswered

The possible surface debut follows one of the most decorated runs in recent Purebred Arabian racing. RB Kingmaker won all three legs of the UAE Arabian Triple Crown in 2023, took the Gr.1 HH The President Cup at Abu Dhabi Turf Club in February 2024 (US$1,225,300), and has won the Gr.1 Al Mneefah Cup in Riyadh in back-to-back seasons — 2025 and 2026 — each valued at US$1,500,000. The European summer placed him among the most widely travelled Purebred Arabians in training. Dirt, at seven years old, remains the one surface the horse has not answered.

A third consecutive Gr.1 Al Mneefah Cup title in February 2027 would place him in rare company; Alalawi does not frame it as an obligation.

“Winning the Al Mneefah Cup for a third time would certainly be a very important achievement,” he said, “but we never look at the season only from the perspective of winning titles. The horse’s condition and what is best for him always comes first.”

Tahnon Alalawi Takes Sole Responsibility For The Gulf Operation

The management of RB Kingmaker’s Gulf campaign passes this season to Tahnon Alalawi, who takes on the role of trainer solely responsible for National Stables’ domestic programme — overseeing preparation and racing across Abu Dhabi Turf Club and Saudi Arabia. It formalises an involvement that developed through the 2025/26 season, during which the stable’s Gulf string, running under the joint ERA registration of Helal and Tahnon Alalawi, recorded 16 wins from 138 runners.

“We work very closely together and discuss the right programme for each horse,” Helal Alalawi said. “I have great confidence in his progress as a trainer and in his ability to manage and develop such a large group of horses step by step.”

The European campaign continues under trainer Elisabeth Bernard.