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- 2-year-old contests headline Friday鈥檚 action at racecourse
- Red Stable and White Stable racers to feature at weekend
RIYADH: A pair of valuable 2-year-old contests headline Friday鈥檚 action at King Abdulaziz Racecourse, with the prestigious HRH Prince Saud bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Cup offering total prize money of SR600,000 ($160,000) across the colts鈥� and fillies鈥� divisions.
The White Stable of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz & Sons looks set for a strong showing, fielding five runners across the two 1,600-meter races. In the colts鈥� division, the stable will be represented by Aatakum (海角直播), Yumter (海角直播), and Al-Aas (海角直播), the latter partnered by jockey Camilo Ospina.
Al-Aas, among the highest-rated contenders, impressed with a dominant six-length victory in Taif in August. And appears well-placed to challenge top-rated rival Muf Alwa鈥檃yed (海角直播), trained by Abdulaziz Almosa, who finished third in the Taif Cup Local Bred Open.
In the fillies鈥� division, White Stable will again feature prominently through Ana Aljonubiyah (海角直播) and Mutakamilah (海角直播). Ana Aljonubiyah, runner-up in the Taif Cup Local Bred Fillies Open, will be ridden by Ospina, while Abdullah Alfairouz takes the reins on Mutakamilah.
The Red Stable of Prince Faisal bin Khaled bin Abdulaziz will rely on a single contender, Leen Almoghtarah (海角直播), to be partnered by Nawaf Almudiani. The filly will aim to improve on her ninth-place finish in the Taif Cup.
Friday鈥檚 card also features a 1,600-meter open race, attracting 10 runners.
The White Stable鈥檚 Mayhamah (海角直播) returns quickly after finishing second in last week鈥檚 Africa Cup and will again be ridden by Alfairouz. His main rival appears to be Fighter (海角直播), one of three Red Stable entrants, partnered by Adel Alfouraidi.
The weekend鈥檚 racing continues on Saturday with the SR130,000 Sulaiman Alhasan Award over 1,600 meters, featuring strong representation from both major stables.
The Red Stable鈥檚 Bint Farhh (海角直播), winner of last year鈥檚 Africa Cup, leads their duo alongside Hasna鈥檃 Alaeredh (海角直播). The White Stable counters with three runners, including the promising Aethbaaraat (海角直播), who returns after nearly a year鈥檚 absence.
Saturday鈥檚 eighth race, an 1,800-meter open contest, shapes as one of the most competitive of the three-day meeting. A full field of 20 is led by Monsieur Jumbo (France), trained by Thamer Aldaihani and ridden by Aseel Alsarhani.
The 8-year-old was last seen winning in March and previously finished runner-up during the Saudi Cup weekend in the International Jockeys鈥� Challenge.
Among his chief rivals are Thundersquall (Great Britain), returning after a hat trick of wins last season, Badr (US), and My Trinket (Ireland), who placed third in the Tuwaiq Cup and was a recent runner-up in Taif.
Rounding out Saturday鈥檚 card, the White Stable appears dominant in the 2,000-meter open (race seven), represented by Kaflahom (海角直播) and Aelam Beladi (海角直播) 鈥� both looking a class above their opposition.