Documentary film looks back on locally trained horse’s historic victory in 2022 Saudi Cup

Riyadh: A new documentary called “The Story of Emblem Road” tells the story of the horse’s victory in the 2022 Saudi Cup, through the eyes of its owner Prince Saud bin Salman Abdulaziz, jockey Alexis Moreno and Prince Bandar bin Khalid Al-Faisal, the chairman of the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia. 

Prince Saud, speaking to the horse racing broadcaster Nick Luck, recalls his feelings about last year’s unexpected victory, and adds that he is approaching this year’s race with “cautious optimism” that Emblem Road can triumph again.

The horse’s rider this time around will be Moreno, who rode Emblem Road’s stablemate Making Miracles in 2022.

This year’s Saudi Cup promises to be an open encounter with contenders from Japan, America and the Kingdom all in with a chance, and the jockey club’s chairman believes it will be “a very interesting race.”

He added that he hoped Emblem Road’s victory 12 months ago had boosted the profile of racing in Saudi Arabia, and it is “not unimaginable that locally trained horses are able to compete on an international level and a platform like The Saudi Cup.”

This year’s event, at Riyadh’s King Abdulaziz Racetrack, takes place on Feb. 24-25.

Prize money of more than $35 million makes it the world’s “most valuable horse race,” according to organizers.