Osborne Strikes Gold In Jockeys Challenge Round One
Hay Nebaha Outclasses Saebout At King Abdulaziz
A dominant front-running display from the locally trained Hay Nebaha provided British jockey Saffie Osborne with a dream start to the International Jockeys Challenge as the opening night of the Saudi Cup Meeting 2026 got under way at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh on Friday evening.
The 6YO, trained by Bader Rizaiq and owned by King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Sons, made virtually all the running in the 1600-metre handicap to score by an emphatic four and a quarter lengths from Saebout, with defending International Jockeys Challenge champion Muhammad Aldaham’s mount Shamkhat Tewaiq a further one and a half lengths back in third.
Carrying just 57 kilograms off a rating of 87, the KSA-bred entire relished conditions on the dirt track, clocking a sharp 1:39.728 to collect the US$200,000 (SAR750,000) winner’s prize from the US$400,000 (SAR1,500,000) purse. It was a performance that belied his relatively modest handicap mark, with the top-rated Saebout, who carried 61 kilograms off a mark of 95, unable to land a blow despite the best efforts of Swedish-born debutante Frida Valle-Skar.
Osborne Makes Early Statement In Four-Race Series
The victory handed Osborne maximum points in the first of four rounds that make up the International Jockeys Challenge, a competition that pits seven male jockeys against seven female counterparts across the Saudi Cup weekend. Osborne returns to Riyadh having previously competed in the 2024 edition of the challenge, where she placed twice but was unable to secure a winner. The intervening period has seen the daughter of trainer Jamie Osborne break significant new ground internationally, most notably partnering Heart of Honor in the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes in America before impressing with winners at Meydan during the Dubai racing season.
Valle-Skar, making her debut in the competition, can take considerable encouragement from her runner-up finish aboard Saebout, trained by Talal Saad and owned by Talal bin Saad Mutlaq bin Saad. The France-based rider arrived in Saudi Arabia with growing credentials after a historic 2025 campaign that saw her partner Matilda to victory in the German 2000 Guineas at Cologne, becoming the first female jockey to win the Classic in 54 years.
The result proved a setback for Aldaham’s title defence, however. The Saudi-born rider made history twelve months ago when he became the first local jockey to win the International Jockeys Challenge, accumulating 30 points through victories in the opening two rounds of the 2025 series. His third-place finish aboard Shamkhat Tewaiq, trained by Fahad Mislat and owned by Prince Saif AlDin bin Saud bin Abdulaziz, leaves the 32-year-old with ground to make up in the remaining rounds.
Local Trainers Showcase Depth On World Stage
For Rizaiq, Hay Nebaha’s performance on the huge stage in Saudi racing underlined the quality within the domestic training ranks. The convincing margin of victory suggested a horse in peak form at just the right time, and the manner in which he controlled proceedings from the front was particularly impressive given the strength of opposition assembled for the Saudi Cup curtain-raiser.
RESULTS
1st. Hay Nebaha (T: Bader Rizaiq / J: Saffie Osborne)
2nd. Saebout (T: Talal Saad / J: Frida Valle-Skar)
3rd. Shamkhat Tewaiq (T: Fahad Mislat / J: Muhammad Aldaham)