RB Kingmaker Retains Al Mneefah Cup Crown
Defending Champion Fends Off RB Mary Lylah Challenge
A devastating late surge under Cristian Demuro carried the reigning champion to a successful defence of the Gr.1 Al Mneefah Cup at King Abdulaziz Racecourse on the opening night of the Saudi Cup Meeting 2026.
The US$1.5 million (SAR5.6 million) contest over 2100 metres on turf, the premier Purebred Arabian event of the evening, saw RB Kingmaker stamp his authority on a race he has now made his own with back-to-back victories in Riyadh.
A Familiar Surge From the Grey Entire
The 7YO grey, trained by Helal and Tahnon Alalawi and owned by Helal Nasser A Alalawi, was settled towards the rear of the field in the early stages as the runners negotiated the 2100-metre trip. Demuro, who has been the horse's regular partner through some of his finest moments, bided his time with characteristic patience before producing his mount widest of all entering the home straight. The response was emphatic. RB Kingmaker swept past his rivals to prevail in a time of 2:21.556, holding half a length over the fast-finishing RB Mary Lylah, with French challenger Lacaro Du Croate a further two and a quarter lengths adrift in third.
It was a performance that bore striking resemblance to his 2025 triumph in the same race, when he surged from off the pace under Demuro to defeat Nabucco Al Maury by a length. Speaking before this year's renewal, rival trainer Xavier Thomas-Demeaulte had acknowledged the threat posed by the defending champion despite beating him at Abu Dhabi earlier in the season. "We know he runs well in Riyadh. Maybe he will transform himself there," the Frenchman told Arab News, and so it proved.
Kingmaker Cements His Place Among Arabian Elite
RB Kingmaker's 2025 victory had opened the door to a stellar campaign through the European summer, during which the son of Baseq Al Khalediah claimed the Gr.1 Doha Cup at Deauville in commanding fashion before finishing a creditable second to the outstanding Al Ghadeer in the Qatar Arabian World Cup on Arc weekend at ParisLongchamp. That consistent excellence at the highest level underlined his credentials heading into this defence, and the Al Ain-based operation duly delivered once more on the grandest stage in Riyadh.
The runner-up, RB Mary Lylah, enhanced her own considerable reputation with a fine effort under Mickael Barzalona. The six-year-old mare, trained by Alban De Mieulle for Wathnan Racing, arrived in Saudi Arabia on the back of a productive 2025 that included a breakthrough Group One success in the Liwa International Stakes at La Teste and a victory in the UAE President Cup at Istanbul. Her late rally suggested she will remain a force in the division through the spring.
Third-placed Lacaro Du Croate, a five-year-old mare trained by Thomas-Demeaulte and ridden by Dylan Browne McMonagle, ran with great credit on her first appearance at this level in Riyadh. A winner of the Gr.1 Criterium des Pouliches in France last summer, she shaped as though the experience of racing at King Abdulaziz Racecourse will serve her well in future campaigns.
The winner collected US$900,000 of the US$1.5 million purse, with US$300,000 going to the runner-up and US$150,000 to the third. For Demuro and the Alalawi team, the result provided a fitting start to a Saudi Cup weekend that continues to elevate Purebred Arabian racing on the global stage.
1st. RB Kingmaker (T: Helal & Tahnon Alalawi / J: Cristian Demuro)
2nd. RB Mary Lylah (T: Alban De Mieulle / J: Mickael Barzalona)
3rd. Lacaro Du Croate (T: Xavier Thomas-Demeaulte / J: Dylan Browne McMonagle)
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