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Remake won the Riyadh Dirt Sprint at the Sports Boulevard in the US$1.5 million Saudi Cup program, with Skelly and Bold Journey coming in second and third, respectively. The winning margin was a length and a half, with the clock stopping at 1:10.42. This was the third Japanese victory in five editions of the Riyadh Dirt Sprint, and Remake had finished third in the previous year to Elite Power.
Owner Koji Maeda expressed his delight, saying, "I came from no background in racing, and now I have 30 Gr.1 winners as an owner-breeder. It means a lot. I will bring the trophy back to the hotel and sleep with it tonight."
Trainer Koichi Shintani added, "If Remake showed his performance, I was pretty sure he was going to get there," while jockey Yuga Kawada said, "It means a huge amount."
Ricardo Santana, Skelly, finished second and said, "To come all the way and travel from the US is hard, but he ran his race," while Joel Rosario, Bold Journey, who came third, reported, "The first two went very fast, but he had a very good run. I am happy with it."
Forever Young won the fifth edition of the US$1.5 million Boutique Group Saudi Derby by a head, beating Book ‘Em Danno on Saturday. Ryusei Sakai rode the horse, who overcame a slow start and a wide, mid-pack trip, to seize the lead in the final stride. The final time was 1:36.17. The win was the third in the race for Japan, following Full Flat in 2020 and Pink Kamehameha a year later. Forever Young, a Northern Racing-bred son of Dubai Turf winner Real Steel, stayed perfect with four victories from four starts in the process and could move on to the Kentucky Derby.
"He tried very hard, he knows everything about what to do, he’s a special horse,” said Ryusei Sakai, jockey of Forever Young. “I was very confident coming into the race, but it was a tougher race because the runner-up was tough and running really well. I was worried, but we finished very strongly. He hasn’t fully matured, but he is improving now. At the final turn, I was very confident, and I trusted my horse, so I just urged him very strongly to the line."
"He didn’t have a good start. He was wide out, and it was a tough race, but he ended up winning, so we are very satisfied,” said Yoshito Yahagi, trainer of Forever Young. “He didn’t like the kickback, so the jockey kept him wide out. Still, he had a very good performance, so I’m very happy about that. We will first head to the UAE Derby before hopefully the Kentucky Derby."
Book’em Danno’s jockey, Irad Ortiz, said: "He just got caught on the wire, but he ran really well." Bentornato, ridden by Luis Saez, came in third. "Great run. He was up on the pace, and turning in, I was thinking, 'Wow!' because we had a break on them. But then the other two came flying by," Saez said.
Senor Buscador won the US$20 million Saudi Cup, prevailing in a photo finish and thwarting Japanese hope Ushba Tesoro in the final strides of the contest in Riyadh.
In the home straight, Ushba Tesoro was the first to give meaningful pursuit down the centre of the track, and with 50 meters to race, he appeared likely to win. But jockey Junior Alvarado kept cajoling more from Senor Buscador, whose grit and gameness found the lead right on the line to score by a head to register his first success at Group One level.
Yuga Kawada, jockey, Ushba Teshoro, said, "He was in good form and travelled nicely. He showed his run. The only thing he didn’t do was win."