Racing returns to Riyadh with headline Abdullah bin Ibrahim Aba Alkhail Award Open

RIYADH: A 17-week journey to the season-ending Saudi Cup meeting begins this weekend as racing returns to Riyadh’s King Abdulaziz Racecourse with three days of action headlined by the Abdullah bin Ibrahim Aba Alkhail Award Open on Saturday.

After a successful summer season at King Khaled Racecourse in the mountains of Taif, the focus now switches to the capital, where the Red Stable of Prince Faisal bin Khaled bin Abdulaziz appears to hold many excellent chances at the opening fixture, highlighted by Tahzeem (KSA) in the 1800m feature.

The mount of last season’s champion jockey, Adel Alfouraidi, is top-rated in a field of 10 runners and seeks to extend his winning sequence having put together four victories on the bounce at the end of the previous Riyadh campaign.

One of his main challengers appears to be fellow Abdullah Al Kahtani-trained and Red Stable runner Harbi (KSA) who was a Taif winner this summer, with the White Stable of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz & Sons leaning on another Taif victor in the shape of Lelah Doroh (KSA) under Camilo Ospina.

The Red Stable have other brilliant chances on Saturday with Alex Moreno’s Hatha Alkalam (KSA) in Race 9, Saodad (KSA) and Jahdoon (KSA) in Race 4 and they are three-handed in the penultimate handicap with the Abdullah Alawfi-ridden Painters Palette (IRE) topping the weights for a 1800m handicap.

They are also represented in Race 5 by Alfouraidi’s mount Alfaisaleyah (GB), but this 1200m Open would appear to be at the mercy of Muqtahem (IRE) for the powerful combination of jockey Muhammad Aldaham, trainer Thamer Aldaihani and owner Sheikh Abdullah Homoud Almalek Al-Sabah.

Saturday’s card opens with an ultra-strong field for a 1400m Arabian Horses Open in which Taif