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| Staff Writer |
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Leading US-based rider John Velazquez is the final international jockey to be confirmed for the stc International Jockeys Challenge (IJC) on Friday 19 February.
The 49YO will take on 13 other jockeys in the IJC, before partnering Tacitus, owned by the late Prince Khalid Abdullah’s Juddmonte Farms, in the $20m Saudi Cup a day later.
Velazquez landed a first Breeders’ Cup Classic in November with Authentic, the horse who had given him a third Kentucky Derby just two months earlier, but the pilot is no stranger to international success, winning the 2005 Dubai World Cup on Roses In May and the 2017 King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot with Lady Aurelia.
In a career that has spanned over 30 years, it is clear what adding a Saudi Cup to his glittering resume would mean to Velazquez, particularly in the iconic Juddmonte colours:
This year’s stc International Jockeys Challenge takes place on Friday, February 19 the day before the $20million Saudi Cup. Jockeys will be made up of seven international women, two local men and five international men. The prize money in each of the four races will be $400,000 and there is a $100,000 prize pot for the Challenge with $30,000 going to the winner.