Prince Khalid bin Sultan’s stable claims double victory in Taif racing season

Prince Khalid bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz’s Al-Khalediah Stables proved a dominant force on Taif’s biggest race day on Saturday, with the yard dominating the Prince Abdullah Alfaisal Cup and the King Faisal Cup, two listed races for purebred Arabian horses worth $266,000 (SR1 million) each.

The Prince Abdullah Alfaisal Cup, open to purebred Arabians aged four-years-old and above, saw the victory of Asfan Al-Khalediah, who won last year’s renewal of the King Faisal Cup and remains unbeaten in 12 starts.

Ridden by Abdullah Alawfi, Asfan Al-Khalediah had trailed last year’s winner Qaswrat Al-Khalediah until the final straight when he surged forward to secure victory with a new track record. Qaswarat Al-Khalediah finished two-and-a-half lengths back in second, followed a further seven-and-a-quarter lengths back in third by Bint Ghaliat Al-Khalediah.

Winning trainer Saad Mutlaq was understandably delighted by his horse’s performance, but more was to come when his stable companion Nadem Al-Molwk Al-Khalediah dominated the prestigious 1,600m King Faisal Cup, the highlight of the evening.

Ridden by Adel Al-Faridi, the three-year-old had gone to the front shortly after leaving the stalls, and while he was heavily pressured by an equally determined Alnjm Almunir, he found more with every stride and eventually won this listed event for three-year-old purebred Arabians by a length.

It was a very popular win and after being celebrated by the crowd, Saad Mutlaq said: “I would like to thank His Majesty the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince for bringing horse racing in the Kingdom to the fore and enabling us to win these fantastic races. I also thank Prince Khalid bin Sultan, who has supported