Saudi Cup winners back in action on King Faisal Cup Day

TAIF: Commissioner King, last year’s G3 Saudi Derby winner, returns to action on Saturday, Sept. 2, on a high-profile day of racing at King Khalid Racecourse in Taif, which includes two SR1 million ($266,000) Listed contests, the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Cup and the King Faisal Cup for purebred Arabians.
Commissioner King, the FMQ Stables-owned gelding, won three of his four starts last season, culminating in the $1.5 million Saudi Derby, and lines up under regular rider Luis Morales in the 1,600-meter SR500,000 Taif Cup, presented by Boutique Group, one of four valuable Taif Cup races on the day.
Speaking about Commissioner King’s win in the Saudi Derby, owner Faisal Mohammed Al Alqahtani said: “It was a historic night; a night that I’ll never forget.”
Explaining the preparation Commissioner King has had ahead of his seasonal return and the plans for the campaign ahead, he added: “We have a special program for him.

He was off for six months and he has been training gradually since the beginning of the Taif season, but to get fully fit he has to race.
“Most horses start their season in allowance races and then go to the cups, but these are regular horses. He’s way above that.
“Saturday’s race is a cup that of course we want to win, but it’s not the target.

We’re taking in this race to get him fit before Riyadh. Then we have some cup races planned for him before he goes to the Saudi Cup.
“If you go back to Commissioner King’s debut in Taif, he ran a fabulous race, so I think he loves the track.”
Another of last season’s Saudi Cup winners, Asfan Al Khalediah, who won the G2 Al Mneefah Cup on Saudi Cup weekend and was also the winner of last season’s King Faisal Cup, recently returned this season with a win, and bids to