 |
|
| Staff Writer |
 |  |
Junior Alvarado, the jockey who won the Saudi Cup, is excited about the opportunity to add another major Middle Eastern title to his resume. Alongside some of the world's best, he will be riding Senor Buscador at the Gr.1 Dubai World Cup this Saturday.
Alvarado shared his thoughts about the remarkable evening he spent at King Abdulaziz Racecourse, “Turning in I had a lot of ground to make up, so I was a little worried. In Senor Buscador’s case, I came round the outside and I was following Ushba Tesoro. I was then attempting to finish in the minor places which would’ve been good, but then I thought second would be great and all of a sudden 50 metres before the wire, I thought ‘I have a chance here’. I went all out, and he kept digging, he fought and got to the wire first.”
Recounting his experience Alvarado said, “The event itself was great, second to none. It was a very good experience from the moment I landed in Saudi. I was very well looked after from start to finish.
“I love the racetrack, it’s probably one of the most beautiful tracks ever. As for the dirt track itself, I thought it felt very safe and even when being held up behind other horses, the kick back was not an issue. I felt there was a lot of cushion in the ground which helps the horses.
“I would love to return to ride in Saudi again, I would do it in a heartbeat! I had a beautiful experience there; everything was handled brilliantly and the racing is on another level.”
Alvarado stated that he is confident that Senor Buscador will be able to tackle the new challenge in Dubai and succeed in achieving the Middle Eastern double. “I haven’t had the opportunity to ride in Dubai, so I don’t know how different the surface is compared to Saudi, but from watching race replays, I think Senor Buscador will handle the dirt completely fine. If anything, the track will favour us because of the nice long straight as he’s a big horse that keeps coming and coming.”
“The Dubai World Cup is going to be competitive. I don’t think I can point out one horse in particular, but the danger would be if there’s not enough pace. The pace will play a big factor, and we will try to avoid traffic when it’s time to make a run. He’s always going to show up and he’s going to run a big race, so there isn’t a specific horse to be scared of in the field.”
One of the significant highlights of the Saudi Cup night was Spirit Dancer, who is trained by Richard Fahey and owned by Sir Alex Ferguson, Ged Mason, and Peter Done. After winning the Bahrain International Trophy, the colt backed it up by emerging victorious in the Gr.2 Howden Neom Turf Cup.
Fahey and the owners are now eagerly anticipating the upcoming Gr.1 Sheema Classic on Dubai World Cup night and are hopeful that Spirit Dancer, who is a son of Frankel, will continue his impressive run of form.
“Everything’s going great. Looking at the videos and speaking to the lad out there, I believe he’s come on in his coat and his demeanor, he’s in very good form,” Fahey said.
“He did have five weeks to acclimatise from his first run this season to the Neom Turf Cup and it’s nearly another five weeks again. We’re very lucky to be able to have him there because it’s more or less the same climate in the Middle East and he’s had time to settle into a good routine – he’s loving his time there. It’s an easier preparation to do it there than from here.
“He definitely runs in the Sheema Classic. It was always in the back of my mind to go to a mile and a half. You’d have every confidence that he should stay. He relaxes and in all his races he’s always finished well.
“We are in at Gr.1 level, so it will be a huge ask, but we’ve had a nice prep and it’s always nice coming there off the back of a win. I’m really looking forward to seeing him run.”
Fahey also expressed his admiration for The Saudi Cup event and the exceptional treatment he and everyone associated with Spirit Dancer received during their time in the Middle East.
“The whole Saudi Cup meeting was exciting and there was a great atmosphere. I’m just pinching myself at the moment and enjoying the trip. We’re very lucky to have the opportunity to do this, and we have to come together and thank Saudi Arabia, Dubai and Bahrain, as they’re giving us fantastic opportunities and all three countries have looked after us fantastically well.”
Some of the winners from Saudi Cup night will also be competing at Meydan, including Tower Of London from Ballydoyle who won the Longines Red Sea Turf Handicap, Forever Young trained by Yoshito Yahagi who won the Boutique Group Saudi Derby, Remake who emerged victorious in the Sports Boulevard Riyadh Dirt Sprint, Asfan Al Khalediah, an unbeaten Purebred Arabian with 17 wins, who won the Diriyah Gate Development Authority Obaiyah Arabian, and Tilal Al Khalediah, the winner of the Ministry of Culture Al Mneefah Cup.