Tag Archive for: Saudi Cup

Monday Musings: Romantic

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It’s official – well almost, the best flat racehorse in the world is a seven-year-old gelding, writes Tony Stafford. True, Romantic Warrior didn’t win the Saudi Cup in Riyadh on Saturday, but he made the high-class Japanese dirt specialist Forever Young pull out all the stops, only getting overhauled in the last 25 yards and losing out by a neck.

The top of the 2024 International Racehorse Ratings was a tie between multiple Group 1 Derby and Irish Derby winner City Of Troy from Aidan O’Brien and the appearing-from-nowhere Laurel River, given an equal figure of 128 after an 8.5 length demolition of the Dubai World Cup field on dirt as long ago as last March.

The Juddmonte-owned Laurel River hadn’t appeared again until being defeated at odds of 4/11 in a Group 3 race back at Meydan where he is now trained by Bhupat Seemar, having started his career in California with three wins for Bob Baffert. He had been an intended starter for the Saudi Cup but was ruled out by injury.

The dangers of allotting such a high score on a single run – true, he had won his previous race at the Dubai Carnival by 6.5 lengths, but that was still only enough to merit a 115 rating – are obvious. In the World Cup, his nearest finisher, staying on all the way home, was the veteran Japanese horse Ushba Tesoro, a regular in Far and Middle Eastern major middle-distance races. He turned up once more on Saturday in the Saudi Cup and the now eight-year-old again put in his best work late in the piece to finish third, albeit ten-and-a-half lengths adrift of the top two.

Forever Young started the 11/8 favourite on Saturday, having gone to the track eight times in his life, each one on dirt. He had been the unlucky member of the trio that crossed the line noses apart in the Kentucky Derby in May, having been interfered with; and again had to give best, this time to Derby second Sierra Leone, when that Coolmore-owned colt won the Breeders’ Cup Classic in the autumn on Forever Young's only other start in the USA. Before Saturday, he'd won all six of his other races.

Those runs gave Yoshito Yahagi's colt an international rating of 121, joint 24th and 4lb lower than Hong Kong-trained Romantic Warrior (125) in joint fifth. The amazing thing about the runner-up, a son of UK-based veteran sire Acclamation and a 300,000gns yearling buy from Corduff Stud at the Tattersalls Yearling sales six years ago, was that this was his first race on dirt after all 23 previous appearances (19 wins) had been on turf.

James McDonald, his regular partner, always finds time away from his Australian commitments – no wonder – to go wherever Romantic Warrior takes him. The only regret for him was that the neck, possibly because he took up the running too far from home and travelled five wide at the top of the straight, made a difference of £5.2 million to the horse’s owner Peter Lau Pak Fai, and maybe half a million for his rider’s share, to McDonald.

 

 

He didn’t let it get him down though, for having pocketed the best part of 300k there, he was at it again in Hong Kong yesterday, picking up the 720k first prize on Voyage Bubble for a virtual stroll around Sha Tin in the Hong Kong Gold Cup. In the words of the immortal Derek Thompson, he won “as an odds-on <7/20> favourite should”.

It made quite a difference to Romantic Warrior’s earnings. Before Saturday I believe, although the internet resolutely refused to give me up to date figures of before the race, showing horses of lesser prizemoney on top, he was already the highest-earning racehorse of all time. The £18.1 million he had collected from 18 wins, three second places and two (honestly!) fourth spots eclipsed whatever any horse, such as fellow Hong Kong champion Golden Sixty, had compiled. I couldn’t find anywhere that confirmed it.

He isn’t just a one-trick Sha Tin pony either, with Group 1 wins at Moonee Valley in Australia, Tokyo last summer and a cantering warm-up for Saturday across the Gulf at Meydan last month. He’s surely at the top of the earnings tree now, up to £20.9 million and change. It would have become an almost unfathomable £26.1 million if Forever Young hadn’t produced that battling late rally under his Japanese rider Ryusei Sakai.

The case for calling him the best in the world, if only for versatility and adaptability at such a late stage in his career, is made easier by comparing the inability of top-ranked City Of Troy to adapt to dirt in the Breeders’ Cup Classic last year at Del Mar. There, he was 13 lengths behind Sierra Leone and ten adrift of Forever Young.

It’s a moot point whether Laurel River’s 128 keeps him ahead of either Forever Young or Romantic Warrior on their form via Ushba Tesoro in Riyadh. I’d love the big three to meet later in the year, maybe in the Dubai World Cup next month, when I’d be siding with Romantic Warrior to clock up another few million of those other sheikhs’ money.

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The weekend’s (Friday and Saturday) domestic racing was dominated by Ben Pauling and his stable jockey Ben Jones, with two wins on Friday at Warwick, where Jones added a third for an outside stable, and a 200/1 hat-trick together at Kempton on Saturday.

Pauling fancied all of those winners bar one, understandably so as Mambonumberfive, overnight a 20/1 shot for the Adonis Hurdle, had pulled up on his recent hurdles debut and was faced by the Prix du Jockey Club fifth and King Edward VII fourth, the 111-rated on the flat Mondo Man, trained by Gary and Josh Moore.

Mondo Man had cost €520,000, whereas Mambonumberfive was a “cheapie” at only €450 grand! After three non-wins in decent juvenile hurdles for Francois Nicolle, that initial pulled up in the Cheltenham race won so decisively by East India Dock didn’t enhance the trainer’s expectations.

But now we saw the true potential of this giant of a horse of whom Ben Pauling said in the morning “he doesn’t strike me as a juvenile type - he’s one for next season”. Mambonumberfive confounded that negativity with a one-length verdict over Toby Lawes’ St Pancras, the favourite half a length further away in third. Ben Jones reported that Mambonumberfive had been less than perfect over the first three hurdles but got the hang of it in time to get the best of a tight finish.

Mondo Man’s connections reckoned the ground was softer than ideal for the gelded son of Mondialiste, but the effort was still creditable. In between the pair came St Pancras who had picked up the 24k first prize for his Scottish Triumph Hurdle victory at Musselburgh last time and earned another 17 grand here. He was conceding the 5lb penalty to his much more expensive opponents.

A 95,000gns Tatts buy in the autumn out of the Martyn Meade stable, the 86-rated flat performer is almost halfway to recouping the investment of Andrew and Sarah Wates in the colours of Andrew’s 1996 Grand National winner Rough Quest. I expect it will take the two French recruits rather longer to get that far!

With an easy win earlier from the hitherto luckless Bad in a chase handicap (geegeez syndicate-owned Sure Touch running a nice race in fourth) and a more mettle-testing success for Our Boy Stan in the concluding bumper, Pauling had the perfect send-off for his short drive along the A308 to Twickenham where England edged out Scotland in a Calcutta Cup thriller.

That wasn’t a bad weekend as the trainer took his tally to 55 wins for the season and more than 900k in stakes. Ben is 260k adrift of last season’s best and with the major money on offer at the big spring festivals to aim at and ammunition to target them, he must be hopeful that he can push the envelope that little bit further.

- TS

Delight for Oisin Murphy, with Japanese runners dominating Saudi Cup undercard

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The Japanese dominated the supporting races on the Saudi Cup card as Oisin Murphy reaped the benefits when landing the Longines Red Sea Turf aboard Byzantine Dream.

The chestnut was making his first start outside of his homeland for trainer Tomoyasu Sakaguchi, teaming up with Murphy for the Group Two worth £1.2million to the winner.

Somewhat overlooked as an 18-1 chance, the duo took up the lead within the final two furlongs and though David O’Meara’s Epic Poet was finishing fast, Byzantine Dream held on to score by a length and a quarter.

Murphy said: “He broke OK but I thought there would be a reasonable amount of pace and they went quicker than I expected.

“He felt super under me yesterday morning, although I only had about two hours of sleep when I got on him, but it was worth it.

“These are very famous colours (owner Kazumi Yoshida) and it was great to wear them and get on him. He had a good run in the Japanese St Leger, only beaten four lengths, and that was good enough here.

“He has a great turn of foot and I never had to touch his mouth on the run around and that always helps. From the time they went by the winning post the first time, as long as I did everything right from there he was going to win.”

O’Meara said of Epic Poet: “He had a little bit of hard luck, but I’m delighted with him.

“He got locked in for a little bit up the straight, but finished off really strongly. He’s been invited to the World Cup meeting in Dubai so we’ll look at that.”

Shin Emperor also flew the flag for Japan to take the highly valuable Howden Neom Turf Cup for Saudi Cup-winning duo of trainer Yoshito Yahagi and jockey Ryusei Sakai.

The performance was a first run since November last year for the full-brother to the 2020 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Sottsass.

He was the 5-6 favourite at Group One level on return to action, and he showed exactly why when sauntering to an easy length-and-a-quarter success from Fawzi Nass’ Calif.

Haunted Dream was fourth for Hamah Al Jehani, with Richard Fahey’s Spirit Dancer just coming home in the money in sixth place and Joseph O’Brien’s duo of Al Riffa and Trustyourinstinct third and eighth respectively.

Yahagi said: “Shin Emperor was definitely the best horse in the field. For our strategy, as long as he jumped well, he would take the lead to avoid some disadvantages or interference.

“With 200 metres remaining, I was convinced he would win. In consideration of today’s track condition and bias, we thought the front position would be advantageous.

“Right after the Japan Cup last year, we have been targeting this race.  He is a very versatile type of horse and can handle any distance, so I would like to ask someone who can tell me which distance is the best for him.

“We will go to the Dubai Sheema Classic next but as for the further plan, we have to discuss with the owner. In my mind, I would like to go to Ascot and York.”

Japan shone too in the 1351 Turf Sprint, where the first two horses home were bred and trained in Japanese stables.

In a thrilling finish it was Ascoli Piceno  who prevailed for Yoichi Kuroiwa and Christophe Lemaire, coming home a head in front of Win Marvel for Masashi Fukayama and Kohei Matsuyama.

Forever Young breaks Romantic Warrior’s heart in Saudi Cup epic

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Forever Young reeled in Hong Kong superstar Romantic Warrior in the final few strides to get the better of a truly epic duel for the Saudi Cup in Riyadh.

The pair dominated the betting for the nine-furlong showpiece, with the Japanese runner Forever Young already proven on a dirt track with placed finishes in the Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup Classic – while in contrast Romantic Warrior was taking a step into the unknown on the surface.

It looked as though James McDonald had made a winning move aboard the Danny Shum-trained Romantic Warrior – the world’s highest-earning racehorse – when he switched five wide on the bend and set sail for home.

Forever Young was caught for pace as Romantic Warrior accelerated in tremendous fashion, but entering the final furlong Forever Young was gaining with every stride, eventually just putting his head in front on the line to secure top honours in the world’s most valuable race.

Yahagi – whose exploits on the international stage need no introduction and who was successful with Shin Emperor earlier on the Saudi Cup card – said: “It’s unbelievable how he is so good. Unbelievable!

“Of course Romantic Warrior is such a strong horse and we respect him, but our horse was better today.

“I was believing he’d still come back to pass Romantic Warrior.

“He loves travelling and I love travel too!”

He added: “This is my second win in the Saudi Cup (after Panthalassa in 2023), but no matter how many wins you have in the Saudi Cup, it is still a great feeling. I didn’t have confidence; I believed in him.

“You know when he came here to run in the Saudi Derby, he was not in the best condition and he still won. Since that time, he has improved a lot and was in better condition today. I would like to thank all the people of the Saudi Cup who support us. We will go to the Dubai World Cup.”

McDonald admitted he was “gutted” Romantic Warrior had been beaten for the first time since October 2023, but was still proud of him in defeat.

He said: “I’m incredibly proud of him, he’s a great horse. I’m gutted he’s been defeated but saying that, he was gallant in defeat.

“The race played out perfectly for us, we had a great pitch in behind. He got a little bit of kickback and I thought ‘get him in the clear’ and he sidled round beautifully.

“He went through his paces really nicely, he kept building all the way and I can safely say I was not stopping.

“It just shows was a great horse Forever Young is and what a race it was.

“It’s Peter (Lau, owner) and Danny, they’ve done a marvellous job and it’s been a pleasure to be a part of it and watch them gloat over this horse day in and day out.

“So much work has been put into him and he delivers every time, he delivered tonight and I’m gutted he got beaten.

“He went down on his sword, that’s for sure – he went down fighting and he made one hell of a race out of it.”

Connections had planned to return to turf with Romantic Warrior for his next start, with the Dubai Turf previously being his stated aim on World Cup night in April.

McDonald added: “I think he runs in Dubai next, but he’s had a tough race tonight. I’d say the horse still thought he’d won because it was a close margin.

“It was a great build up, great to be here in Saudi and they put on a great show.”

Like McDonald, Shum took defeat on the chin – and confirmed Romantic Warrior would return to turf in Dubai.

He said: “It was his first time on the dirt and he ran tremendous. Really good. The winner is a very good horse and didn’t beat us by very much. It was his first run on the dirt and he was only beaten by Forever Young and that horse is a very tough dirt horse.

“We were only beaten by a head. What can you do? I tried something like this for the first time with Romantic Warrior and hopefully some other trainers and owners will (follow me).

“We did the best we could. We hope to win every time, but racing is racing. He tried his best, it was a really good race.

“James was happy with him, so I’m happy with him. Great run. He beat the third horse by lengths. He will go back to Dubai for the Dubai Turf. Definitely turf.”

Kickback the concern for Romantic Warrior in Saudi Cup

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Danny Shum is confident Romantic Warrior will be able to perform on the dirt in Saturday’s Saudi Cup – but is less certain how the Hong Kong star will cope with the kickback from the surface in Riyadh.

The seven-year-old will be having his first dirt start in the $20million race having racked up an eight-race winning streak that stretches back to October 2023 and encompasses seven top-level contests.

Romantic Warrior warmed up for this assignment by showing a stunning turn of foot to register a comfortable victory in the Jebel Hatta at Meydan, as connections opted to stay on turf rather than tackle the Al Maktoum Challenge on dirt.

Shum explained: “He raced in the Jebel Hatta and it was an amazing finish to the race as a seven-year-old gelding. You can see see in the last 400 metres, (jockey) James McDonald and Romantic Warrior, they really trust each other. James is waiting for the pace and Romantic Warrior is waiting for James. When he goes he hit the line strong, it was an amazing run.

“The first plan was (to run on the dirt in Dubai) but Romantic Warrior’s owner, Peter Lau, James and me had a meeting and he (Lau) told me the reasons not to run in the Maktoum and run on the turf in the Jebel Hatta – you want to find out only in the big races, if he ran disappointingly in the Maktoum you will have no confidence to run him in the Saudi Cup.

“So I said keep him fresh, keep him happy and we will find out in the Saudi Cup.”

Romantic Warrior has enjoyed a taste of the dirt course in training and Shum added: “I feel he’s adapted well and James’ report was also positive, but the point is how he handles the kickback on his face.

“It’s different for different horses, some horses can adapt but some shorten their stride. This is normal but you never know until after the winning post.

“He is very fit, physically, I can say all the time in his career, this is the best in his life.”

Romantic Warrior has been drawn in stall three in a full field of 14 runners, with Shum relaxed on that position and confident McDonald will have his race planned out.

He added: “Draw three is helpful because it is flexible. Romantic Warrior has natural speed and I’ve studied the last five Saudi Cups and the first 200 metres are really fast, they just go, American style.

“James will have studied the field very hard and also has rides before the Saudi Cup. He can see if there is a bias and where it is.”

Romantic Warrior is the second-favourite for the Saudi Cup behind Japanese runner Forever Young, winner of last year’s Saudi Derby before going on to finish third in both the Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup Classic for trainer Yoshito Yahagi.

Last year’s narrow Saudi Cup second Ushba Tesoro is back for more along with fellow Noboru Takagi inmate Wilson Tesoro and another Japanese runner in Ramjet, leaving Shum wary of the challenge they pose along with Bhupat Seemar’s Al Maktoum Challenge winner Walk Of Stars.

He added: “Forever Young is obviously one of the main contenders and I also like Walk Of Stars. All of the Japanese horses are very tough, this time they have sent their best four dirt horses to Saudi, so they’re very strong.”

Forever Young has been drawn widest of all in stall 14, but jockey Ryusei Sakai does not see that as a negative.

He said: “I have no worries about him. He is a very versatile type of horse and can handle any type of track condition.

“The wide gate is not a big concern and distance-wise there is no issue either. I understand this will be a very competitive race, but my focus is to show his run. I am really looking forward to Saturday.”

French raider Facteur Cheval represents Jerome Reynier after finishing a seven-length third behind Walk Of Stars on his initial dirt run in Dubai last month.

A top-class performer on turf – finishing second in the last two runnings of the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot on Champions Day – his Meydan effort was quite eyecatching.

Reynier said: “The plan was always to take him to Dubai to test him on the track, even though the dirt there is different to the one at Riyadh. So we ran him in the Al Maktoum Challenge with the aim that he would get used to the kickback.

“Facteur Cheval is a very strong individual, who always delivers, he is just a very special horse. Even if we might struggle to be as competitive as Forever Young or the other true dirt specialists, who are international champions, being placed in this race is already an achievement.”

Romantic Warrior tops Saudi Cup field

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Romantic Warrior is one of a full field of 14 for Saturday’s Saudi Cup.

The Danny Shum-trained globetrotter faces a different challenge on this occasion as he is having his first outing on a dirt track as he tackles the $20million race.

Unbeaten in eight starts since October 2023, Shum has full belief his seven-year-old will handle the switch in surface and build on his incredible record which has seen him earn more money than any other horse.

Having exercised on the dirt track on Tuesday morning, Shum said of Romantic Warrior: “It’s a different surface and he used more energy but he’s good, he’s come back fine and everything is good.

“James (McDonald, jockey) said he should handle it but until we finish the race, no one knows.

“The team have done a lot of work with him, changed his shoes, done of lot of walking to try to make him relaxed. He loves it here, he’s settled.

“We’ll just do a few canters now, he’s very fit.”

Japan’s Forever Young is seen as the big danger along with Ushba Tesora, who was beaten just a head in the race last year.

Europeans will be well aware of how good Facteur Cheval is while American interest comes in the form of Kenny McPeek’s Rattle N Roll.

Laurel River to miss Saudi trip but Dubai World Cup defence still on

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Laurel River has been ruled out of the Saudi Cup due to a small setback.

A stunning winner of the Dubai World Cup last year, a repeat victory closer to home at Meydan on April 5 is now his main aim.

Trainer Bhupat Seemar confirmed in a statement to the Dubai Racing Club that the Juddmonte-owned seven-year-old would miss the feature race in Saudi Arabia on Saturday week.

Seemar said: “He had a small setback in training and missed his intended workout for the Saudi Cup. We will keep him in Dubai and aim him at the Dubai World Cup.”

Having run over a mile or less during his time in America and his early days with Seemar, Laurel River was viewed as a doubtful stayer when lining up in the highlight of the Meydan Carnival last year.

However, under an ultra-positive ride from Tadgh O’Shea, he blitzed the field and won by eight and a half lengths.

That performance saw him share top spot in the Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings for 2024 alongside City Of Troy.

O’Shea tried to replicate those tactics on his recent comeback over a mile in the Group Three Firebreak Stakes at Meydan but having his first run for almost a year, he was caught close home.

Saudi Cup set to be Romantic Warrior’s sole dirt task

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Romantic Warrior is “99 per cent certain” to return to turf after trying a dirt surface for the first time in the Saudi Cup on Saturday week.

Danny Shum’s Hong Kong-based seven-year-old has plied his trade across the globe with great success, winning 18 times, with 10 of those victories coming at Group One level to make him the world’s highest-earning racehorse.

Most recently, he was the winner of the Jebel Hatta on Meydan’s turf course in late January, breaking the track record in the process of a four-and-a-half-length victory under James McDonald.

He is due to return to the same course for the Dubai Turf at Meydan’s World Cup meeting, but first he will try his hand on a dirt surface as the world’s most lucrative race, the Saudi Cup, beckons.

“Wherever we finish in the Saudi Cup, it is 99 per cent certain he will run next in the Dubai Turf,” Shum said.

“The Dubai Racing Club have already accepted my entry for the Dubai Turf but not the Dubai World Cup yet, as we want to see how Romantic Warrior finishes the race here, but he will almost certainly go for the turf race.

“James, Peter (Lau Pak Fai, owner) and I discussed about running first on dirt in the Al Maktoum Challenge and thought that might be better.

“Peter and I had a lunch meeting and he made a very good point. He said we should run on the turf in Dubai as he could have a (bad) experience on the dirt there, and that the Dubai and Saudi dirt is different. He could win or run really well in Dubai, but that doesn’t mean he can run well in Saudi.

“So, we went to the Jebel Hatta knowing we can win easily – and we will keep the dirt a secret. Maybe he will be very good on it, or maybe he can’t handle it – but we won’t be disappointed if he loses, so long as he is happy and sound.”

McDonald is Romantic Warrior’s regular rider and shares the same relationship with the horse that Shum does – a connection the trainer hopes to enjoy for as long as possible.

“James has such confidence in the horse. When you watch James and Romantic Warrior – they are one. It is amazing to see. It’s incredible,” he said.

“I am so lucky to have him and he is so good to my stable. As a trainer, I am lucky to have a horse like him and I love him. And the horse loves me and the team.

“I want to keep him for as long as possible – not for the money but because we love each other. I love to see him and feed him carrots and he’s then so happy.”

Saudi Cup next for Facteur Cheval after passing dirt test

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Jerome Reynier’s top-class performer Facteur Cheval has his sights set on the Saudi Cup after an encouraging dirt debut in the Al Maktoum Challenge at Meydan last week.

The six-year-old has proven himself to be a real star for the stable, never once failing to come home in the money in 18 runs so far across France, England and the Middle East.

During the 2023 season, he hit the crossbar in a string of Group races, including finishing second in the Sussex Stakes and the QEII, at Goodwood and Ascot respectively.

His breakthrough at the top grade came in the Dubai Turf last March, when he prevailed by a short head to net nearly £2.3million in prize-money for owners Team Valor International and Gary Barber.

The son of Ribchester then ran exclusively on British soil throughout the rest of his 2024 turf campaign, posting a rare below-par performance in the Queen Anne at Royal Ascot but bouncing back with fine runs at Glorious Goodwood and on Champions Day.

After his Meydan success, a return to Dubai had always been on the agenda, with connections keen to try the gelding on dirt to test the water ahead of some valuable contests on that surface.

That trial came in the Al Maktoum Challenge and Facteur Cheval certainly showed enough to give his team the green light to proceed, finishing third of 12 runners when seeming to take well to the surface, finding himself behind early but showing the kickback to be no problem and finishing well.

Now the Saudi Cup in Riyadh beckons next month, where the globetrotting star will take aim at the most valuable race run anywhere in the world.

“That was a good test last Friday on the dirt and in very different conditions than usual,” said Reynier.

“We didn’t really want to ask him too much jumping out of the gate, so we were waiting with him during the race.

“He took a lot of kickback but that was good to see if he was able to cope with it, which not every horse can.

“I really liked what we saw in the final turn, he had plenty of energy and finished his race running on – it was a good effort and we were happy with him.

“He passed the test and now we’re going to aim for the Saudi Cup with him.

“That will be a different scenario, only one bend, and it’s approximately the same trip as the (Dubai) Turf (a mile and a furlong) but on dirt.

“There will also be some specialists, like some Japanese or American horses, and the level will be much higher, with Romantic Warrior as well.

“We know he’s a very good horse, and now we know he can handle the dirt, so we want to give it a go and see if he’s able to be competitive at the highest level in the richest race in the world – it’s going to be an interesting gamble.”

A return to Meydan is then on the cards for Facteur Cheval, with Reynier feeling a title defence in the Dubai Turf is a more likely target than another outing on dirt.

He added: “After that, he will be back in Dubai preparing to defend his crown in the Dubai Turf, unless he is flying on the dirt and connections would like to run him in the Dubai World Cup.

“Personally, I doubt we will, but you never know.”

Romantic Warrior creates Hong Kong Cup history

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Romantic Warrior secured his place in the record books as he won an unprecedented third Longines Hong Kong Cup at Sha Tin.

The six-year-old had been hailed as “the perfect racehorse” by jockey James McDonald ahead of the 10-furlong Group One and he lived up to his billing with a comfortable victory over Japanese star Liberty Island.

Aidan O’Brien’s Wingspan set the early pace with McDonald settling Romantic Warrior in fourth, moving slightly off the rail from his draw in stall one to ensure a clear passage throughout the race.

Given the signal to kick on a furlong and a half from home, the Danny Shum-trained Romantic Warrior moved up a gear and kicked away from the chasing Liberty Island, with McDonald having enough in hand to turn and hail the crowd well before the line.

McDonald said of the length-and-a-half winner: “I’m so proud of this horse. It’s been a remarkable effort by Danny and his team.

“Forget the rest, he’s the best. He’s been flying. Anyone could ride him he’s that easy, but I’m the lucky one. He’s the horse of a lifetime.”

Further exciting challenges now await Romantic Warrior, including the Saudi Cup – the world’s most valuable race.

Shum said: “He’s the best, but I have to take another bigger challenge to go to Dubai and Saudi Arabia, just because I haven’t been to Dubai for 25 years.

“At that time, I was assistant trainer for Mr Ivan Allan, I had a new experience. I will make sure the team that go there are in the best form.

“The owner Mr Peter Lau said it’s a once in a life chance to take the challenge in Saudi Arabia for the top prize-money in the world. We are experimenting with dirt but I’ve tried him in an all-weather trial with a pacifier and he was quite good.”

Andrew Balding’s outsider The Foxes made a late charge to grab fourth place and a prize of over £240,000, while Spirit Dancer, O’Brien’s first string Content and Wingspan were all unplaced.

McDonald was completing a big-race double after earlier steering the Ricky Yiu-trained Voyage Bubble to victory in the Longines Hong Kong Mile.

The six-year-old travelled well throughout and seized the initiative with two furlongs to run, going to record a length-and-a-quarter win over Soul Rush and improve on his second place of last year.

McDonald said: “He’s a great horse in his own right. He felt excellent going to the gates today – he was really on the job. Credit to Ricky and his team – they’ve prepped him up beautifully.

“He just gives his all. He has a very big heart and he’s very uncomplicated.”

Harry Eustace’s Docklands and the James Ferguson-trained Ramadan finished down the field.

Local speedster Ka Ying Rising overcame a tardy start to win the Longines Hong Kong Sprint.

The four-year-old was widely expected to star in the six-furlong heat having won his last seven starts and smashed a long-standing track record on his most recent run.

However, he was slow to break for Zac Purton and rather than sprinting clear at the finish, he had to battle Helios Express and Satono Reve to secure the win.

Purton said of the David Hayes-trained winner: “Something lunged at the gate just before he went and it took his mind off it and he turned his head, so he was a little bit slow to step and then Victor The Winner just bore my neck the whole way and he never quite relaxed the way he has.

“He was working the whole way and never had time to relax. He wasn’t at his best today and is better than this but still got the job done.”

Ralph Beckett’s British raider Starlust could not add to his Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint triumph, racing on the heels of the leaders before dropping back in the straight.

Senor Buscador prevails in exciting Saudi Cup finish

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Senor Buscador grasped victory in the final strides to land the Saudi Cup for American trainer Todd Fincher.

The six-year-old was ridden by Junior Alvarado and started in stall four for the Group One, which is worth nearly £8million to the winning connections.

Saudi Crown made the running around the one-mile-one-furlong trip and as the field of 14 rounded the home turn, Senor Buscador had only fading horses behind him and a significant amount of ground to make up.

The bay, who was second to National Treasure in the Pegasus World Cup last time out, then began to accelerate and pass horses in the home straight.

He made his way to the front of the race and fell into stride with Japanese raider Ushba Tesoro as Saudi Crown slipped into third place.

The former two horses both lunged for the line and it was Senor Buscador who just came out on top to take the Saudi Cup back to America.

Joe Peacock jnr, who bred the horse with his late father and owns him alongside Sharaf Mohammed S Al Hariri, said after the victory: “Todd said early on that this race was set up perfectly for him.

“It’s the perfect distance, it’s just the one turn which is beneficial given his running style as we know he is going to come from way back and with two turns, he just gives up too much ground.

“I couldn’t be happier with the result. He knows where he needs to be and he got there on the day.

“I always worry about him because he gets so far back but we have a lot of confidence, a lot of faith in the horse.

Senor Buscador and Junior Alvarado winning the Saudi Cup
Senor Buscador and Junior Alvarado winning the Saudi Cup (Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia / Neville Hopwood)

“He has a big heart, he doesn’t always get there but we knew that given time, he would put it all together and win a big one. We didn’t really think it would be the Saudi Cup but we’ll take it.

“He’s the last horse my dad and I bred together so it’s very, very special.”

Fincher had expected the race to suit Senor Buscador and was delighted to see him show his ability despite his late-finishing style.

He said: “The set up was perfect, there was plenty of speed in there. It’s a track that plays fair, we’ve been on some really speed-biased tracks but we felt this one plays fair and it did.

“He ran with the best horses in the world and he showed what he can do.

Junior Alvarado celebrates aboard Senor Buscador
Junior Alvarado celebrates aboard Senor Buscador (Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia/Erika Rasmussen)

“I can make excuses for him but he puts himself in that position a lot of the time, he gets behind 10 or 11 horses and has to weave his way through.

“He doesn’t get a clean trip and always gets dirt kicked in his face but he does it to himself, he sure tries to overcome it every time!

“It’s a big purse and the best horses in the world. This horse, he has never got the credit he deserves and I was just so adamant that I wanted him to prove how good he is and he finally proved it.”

Alvarado added: “I always knew he was a very good horse, we just needed to have a fair track where he can have a better chance to win and he proved that today,” he said.

“He is a horse that when he’s ready he lets you know and starts picking up horses late on, you just ride along with him.

“It’s just a matter of time to get there, you try to measure it perfectly.”

Annaf another international winner for Appleby

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Mick Appleby pulled off another lucrative overseas raid as Annaf landed the Saudi National Bank 1351 Turf Sprint.

The five-year-old was drawn in stall 12 as Rossa Ryan took up the reins in Riyadh, but under a clever ride he was able to take cover on the inside rail when switched across at the rear of the field.

From there he allowed other horses to fold ahead of him and after the home turn, he accelerated away to to cross the line comfortably ahead of Takashi Saito’s La La Christine.

“He gave him a great ride – it’s all down to Rossa, not my training!” Appleby said.

“He keeps improving and keeps surprising us. Where we go next, god knows. He’s got an invite to Japan so we’ll maybe go there next.

“We’ve always thought he was a good horse and that he would get better with age, there’s more to come still.”

Of his recent successes in big oversea events, Appleby, who trained Big Evs to win the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint in November, added: “It’s becoming a habit, sky’s the limit!”

Ryan, who has struck up a good bond with the horse, said: “I’ve always ridden him for luck and it’s always just seemed to work.

“He lets the hard hitters make the running early and just picks up the pieces. Obviously today the trip was a massive concern after he’d won a Portland over five and a half (furlongs), a Group Three over six and was third in a Group One over five.

“He’d shown plenty of speed but he got six furlongs on the grass at Ascot in heavy ground, so it was probably going to weigh up the same.

“We went a right good gallop and when I got out the gates and into stride and in on the rail, I was where I wanted to be.

“Luckily the gaps came and he’s very good. I know he has the pace to get me out of trouble, which is a great thing to have up your sleeve, and he can travel into gaps like good horses can.

“I didn’t have a lot of room but he stuck his head through it and away he went.”

Tower Of London had to pass nearly the whole field but still managed to prevail in the Longines Red Sea Turf Handicap.

Aidan O’Brien’s four-year-old was partnered by Ryan Moore for the Group Three handicap, carrying 9st 5lb on his first run of the year after finishing fourth in the St Leger last season.

Drawn wide in stall 12, the bay tracked across to the inner rail and settled at the rear of the field where he stayed until rounding the final bend.

In the home straight he had all but one or two trailers ahead of him, picking off each rival one by one and eventually drawing level with the race leaders, fellow Europeans Enemy and Giavellotto, before just getting his head in front on the line.

“He’s a lightly-raced horse and the only time he’s really disappointed was on bad ground in the Irish Cesarewitch,” Moore said.

“He’s been working very nicely, he’s a brother to Capri and it’s a family that has done very well for the yard.

“We always held him in high regard, he was drawn a bit awkward and they didn’t have any pace in the race.

“He was able to slide over to the rail and he had to be patient when it didn’t quite pan out as there were a few horses dropping back.

“We eventually got out and put his head down at the right moment and got us out of trouble.”

Forever Young has the Kentucky Derby as his ultimate aim after winning the Boutique Group Saudi Derby for Yoshito Yahagi.

The Japanese runner finished with a flourish to edge out Book’em Danno by a head in a flying finish.

Yahagi said: “He didn’t have a good start. He was wide out and it was a tough race, but he ended up winning, so we are very satisfied. He didn’t like the kickback, so the jockey kept him wide out. Still, he had a very good performance, so I’m very happy about that.

“We will first head to the UAE Derby before hopefully the Kentucky Derby.”

Spirit Dancer powers home to give Ferguson victory in Neom Turf Cup

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Spirit Dancer landed another huge prize for part-owner Sir Alex Ferguson when flying home to take the Howden Neom Turf Cup at the Saudi Cup meeting.

Trained by Richard Fahey and co-owned by Ferguson, Ged Mason and Fred Done, the Frankel gelding is the usual ride of jockey Oisin Orr.

The pair travelled out to Bahrain last year to tackle the Group Two Bahrain International Trophy and after succeeding there, they set their sights on the Neom Turf Cup after first visiting Meydan in January.

Another Group Two event, the Neom Turf Cup had attracted a deep field that included Aidan O’Brien’s Luxembourg, Andrew Balding’s The Foxes and John and Thady Gosden’s Jack Darcy.

The latter cut out the running early on and was closely followed by Luxembourg, who was given a positive ride by Ryan Moore and looked the winner in the home straight.

With two furlongs left to travel it was Spirit Dancer who was going best of all, however, cruising down the centre of the track to sweep to an impressive and valuable victory.

Ferguson also bred the horse alongside Niall McLoughlin and said of the performance: “It was fantastic. After the triumph in Bahrain and coming to this level and looking at the field – the performance from Oisin and the horse was unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable.

“Richard has made the point a few times that the horse hasn’t had a lot of racing, he has been trying to step it up and I think you’ve seen the evidence today.

“Oisin said to me that the horse is improving all the time and the evidence is there. I’m delighted.”

Mason, who owns several other horses over both Flat and National Hunt codes, added: “It still feels like a dream, I have to pinch myself.

“He finished like a steam engine and Alex said ‘He’s a Frankel, remember that’. I’m delighted, it’s absolutely brilliant.

“That was a class act of entries there, that performance was extra special.

“If he doesn’t mind me saying, Alex had a dream this morning and he dreamed that we won!”

Fahey, who has trained the seven-year-old to win eight times now, added: “I’d say it’ll be very hard not to send him to Dubai, we’ll see how he is and make a decision but I’d be a little bit shocked if he doesn’t line up in something on World Cup night.

“I’ve always wanted to stretch him out to a mile and a half, but the horse hasn’t stopped blowing yet, so let him blow and we’ll work it out!

“Any horse that can win on the international scene like this, they become the people’s horse and he’s heading that way.

“He’s got a huge fan base, he’s a progressive horse that’s heading the right way.

“He gets his head down and gallops all the way to the line, people who are involved in horse racing love to see horses do that.”

Dutrow bullish about Saudi Cup favourite White Abarrio

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White Abarrio is carrying maximum stable confidence into the $20million Saudi Cup at the King Abdulaziz Racecourse on Saturday.

The striking grey was last seen winning the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita in November, making it two Grade Ones in three starts for Rick Dutrow since moving from Saffie Joseph.

And Dutrow – who has returned to the big-race limelight after enduring a 10-year suspension imposed for medication and administration violations that forced him to build again from scratch – sees the world’s most valuable race as tailor-made for his charge, who will again be ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr.

“All the work has been done with him and he’s in a zone that I wish every horse that ever lived was in that kind of zone,” said Dutrow.

“We just made a couple of minor adjustments with him (after he switched yards), they just happened to work out really well.

“I think the glue-on shoes sealed the deal for him. We did that after his Met Mile run, we knew we needed to make some kind of changes with his front feet, because he wasn’t level, wasn’t even.

Irad Ortiz with White Abarrio after the Breeders' Cup
Irad Ortiz Jr with White Abarrio after the Breeders’ Cup (PA)

“He ran a big race that day (Met Mile, third), we were extremely happy with how he finished his race. Then we went with the glue-ons, then we knew we were training better. The riders could just feel he was better.

“I feel if he is on his game and runs his race, he is going to be tough to beat.

“This race, a mile and an eighth (nine furlongs), around one turn…I feel as if he were to wake up in the morning and we were to ask him, ‘Hey babe, what do you wanna do for a $20million race?’, he’d say, ‘Make it a mile and an eighth around one turn’.”

Dutrow stressed he was “all in” on the Saudi Cup – but would love to go on from Riyadh to Dubai for the Dubai World Cup.

Confidence is high in the Saudi Cup chance of White Abarrio
Confidence is high in the Saudi Cup chance of White Abarrio (Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia/Ali Al-Abdullah)

“We’re so excited to do something like that, but it’s going to be up to him. I want him to have an easy race here – I shouldn’t be saying that, because there’s so many good horses here. How are we expecting to have an easy race?” Dutrow said.

“We have a really good horse and he is on it, that’s what I’m hoping for. We’ll have a little chat with Irad, our main goal is to win and our second main goal is to save horse for his next race. If we can get those things done, we’re going to be excited going to Dubai.”

The five-year-old drew stall two at the post-position ceremony on Wednesday, with that doing little to dent confidence.

“He had the two-hole (in the Classic) last time, this can’t be a problem,” Dutrow said. “We’ve got the best rider, one of the best horses. It’ll be fun. We’ll be ready. He really takes my breath away every time I see him.”

Derma Sotogake is a big danger again to White Abarrio
Derma Sotogake is a big danger again to White Abarrio (Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia/Mathea Kelley)

Leading the opposition is the Hidetaka Otonashi-trained Derma Sotogake for Japan – just a length adrift of White Abarrio when second in the Classic.

He reportedly suffered a minor injury scare on the flight over, but rider Christophe Lemaire is happy with what he has seen.

“The horse has got more mature, stronger, I think. He looks happy here, so I’m very confident,” he said.

“He was still young last year as a three-year-old, as a four-year-old he’ll get better and better. He didn’t run much last year, of course they were tough races, but he’s the kind of horse who keeps himself safe, he still has many things to show us.

“The field will be very strong, but he’s a tough horse, he’s able to jump well from the gates and take a position, he can keep a strong pace.”

Otonashi said: “The accident during the flight is the only concern but we did everything we could have done. He is in good form.”

Bob Baffert has yet to win the race but has come close, with Charlatan the length runner-up to the John and Thady Gosden-trained Mishriff in 2021, while Country Grammer was half a length down on Emblem Road in 2022 and three-parts of a length second to Panthalassa 12 months ago, when ridden by Frankie Dettori.

His runner this time is National Treasure, winner of last year’s Preakness and second in the Dirt Mile at the Breeders’ Cup, before reappearing in the Pegasus World Cup, holding on to score from Senor Buscador, who reopposes for Todd Fincher.

Baffert’s assistant Jimmy Barnes said: “He has matured into a fine horse. He likes to be on the pace, that’s clear, but he was able to back off a little when he won the Pegasus last month.

“If there is a speed battle in this race, we feel he will still be able to get the right trip under a strong rider (Flavien Prat).

“He has a good post to work from in seven. This is our fifth runner in this race, we have been second three times, so we are hoping to make the breakthrough.”

Fahey making the most of Fergie time with Spirit Dancer

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Richard Fahey will bid to provide Sir Alex Ferguson with further international success when Spirit Dancer lines up in the Howden Neom Turf Cup on Saturday.

The seven-year-old gave the former Manchester United manager and his fellow owners, Ged Mason and Fred Done, a day to remember when scoring in the Bahrain International Trophy last November and attentions were soon turned to securing more valuable prizes in the region.

Spirit Dancer tuned up for his crack at this $2million prize by finishing fourth in Meydan’s Jebel Hatta last month and his handler believes that will have put him spot on for this Saudi Cup night assignment.

“I felt he would need the run the last day and it looked that way as well,” said Fahey.

“He has had four or five weeks to acclimatise now. It’s all stuff of dreams, which is becoming a reality when we get to run on Saturday.

“It’s fantastic here, we are well looked after and the horse is happy. When you come on these trips, the most important thing is how the horse is – and the horse is in good order. I’m very pleased with him and at the moment I wouldn’t swap my fella.”

Fahey admitted to being awestruck by the footballing great in the early stages of training for him, but now relishes the time they spend together comparing notes on how to prime star sporting talent for action.

“To be fair, when I first started training for him, I was a little bit humbled,” Fahey this week.

Sir Alex Ferguson has enjoyed Spirit Dancer's success of late
Sir Alex Ferguson has enjoyed Spirit Dancer’s success of late (David Davies/PA)

“I have some fantastic conversations with him and he has been to the yard three or four times now. He is just a wonderful man and you can see why he has been a success.

“It’s a humbling experience but it’s amazing, because even this (Thursday) morning we were discussing footballers and horses and Sir Alex was asking why we didn’t canter on the grass.

“I explained we race on the (grass) surfaces because if we were to train on them all the time, we wouldn’t have many horses left, so we tend to use the artificial surfaces – and he compared it to a very good football team whose training pitch was quite quick and a lot of the players were getting hurt, so there is comparisons with football and racing.”

There is plenty of British and Irish involvement in the extended 10-furlong event, with Aidan O’Brien’s Luxembourg a clear favourite with the bookmakers, having knocked on the door behind Auguste Rodin on home soil in the autumn before also going close in Hong Kong in December.

Luxembourg will represent Aidan O'Brien in the Neom Turf Cup
Luxembourg will represent Aidan O’Brien in the Neom Turf Cup (Donall Farmer/PA)

Andrew Balding’s The Foxes is another who is no stranger to international competition, having finished second in the Belmont Derby last summer, and the Dante winner is expected to take a step forward from his comeback run at Southwell recently.

A January afternoon at Rolleston is poles apart from the pressure cooker of Riyadh on Saudi Cup night, but connections are confident of a bold bid from their four-year-old.

“He’s got here in great form,” said the trainer’s wife and representative Anna Lisa Balding.

“I was very pleased with how he looked out there on Thursday morning.

The Foxes warmed up for his Neom Turf Cup challenge at Southwell
The Foxes warmed up for his Neom Turf Cup challenge at Southwell (PA)

“Last year, we took him to America and he finished second in a Grade One, so we felt he would be up to the travel again.

“We’re delighted with his position in gate six and Oisin Murphy is back on and he rides him so well. He needed the run last time at Southwell but it was a good effort and he will come on for it.”

John and Thady Gosden struck gold with subsequent Royal Ascot and Juddmonte International Stakes champion Mostahdaf 12 months ago and will look to repeat the dose with stable newcomer Jack Darcy.

Astro King has been something of a superstar for Daniel and Claire Kubler and their Cambridgeshire hero should not be underestimated after being far from disgraced in sixth behind Spirit Dancer last time.

“With a little more luck, he might well have placed second or third (in Bahrain),” said Claire Kubler.

“He was on the rail in Bahrain and ran into traffic. It was frustrating but we had to notice that it was established horses like Point Lonsdale and Nations Pride that were in his path and he was finishing stronger than them.

“It’s amazing for our team and his owners to be a part of this occasion. It’s so exciting and we feel he can run well.”

Ferguson ‘quite optimistic’ over Spirit Dancer

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Sir Alex Ferguson “never dreamed” that he would have a horse good enough to take on the best in the world on the international stage. But in Spirit Dancer – a horse he bred – that is exactly what he is doing.

The former Manchester United manager has become immersed in the racing world since his retirement, enjoying several high-profile victories in the National Hunt sphere.

To date, his Flat exploits had not reached the same heights. But the Richard Fahey-trained seven-year-old Spirit Dancer has started to change all that.

Winning the Strensall Stakes at York last summer earned him an invite for the Bahrain International Trophy, which he won, and he was last seen finishing a respectable fourth in the Group One Jebel Hatta at Meydan in Dubai.

He now runs in the Howden Neom Turf Cup on Saturday in Riyadh, a race worth almost £1million to the winner.

“One of the great advantages of having a really good horse is international racing. We never dreamed, when I bred Spirit Dancer, that he would end up getting as far as this,” Ferguson told The Saudi Cup.

“We’re so excited about it and after Bahrain we are quite optimistic.

“He had a little problem when he was three years of age, he got over that and he’s just got better and better. He’s not had a lot of racing. That’s what Richard keeps saying, that he can race a lot more than he’s been doing. So we’re getting the benefit.

“The international element is something we didn’t expect. I’d been to Dubai some years back and I was saying to myself I wonder what it’s like to have a horse involved in it – now we’ve got one, I’m enjoying it.

“Competing with the likes of Aidan O’Brien and the Japanese, you know you are up against the best, and we’re enjoying it.”

Spirit Dancer on track at Riyadh
Spirit Dancer on track at Riyadh (Mathea Kelley-Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia, Feb. 22, 2024)

Ferguson’s racing interests stretch back almost 30 years now, and it is fair to say he is more involved than at any time in his life.

“It was round about 1995 that I remember my wife saying I was going to kill myself because my whole day was absorbed with the (football) club,” he explained.

“One day, I said to my wife ‘shall we go to the races?’. She asked where that had come from and I told her it was her who said I needed to start doing something else.

“We were at the races one day when I met John Mulhern and Dessie Scahill and I got hooked. She once said ‘you want to buy all the right horses’, well, I’m trying!

“I got into breeding by accident, I was in Germany visiting Andreas Wohler and he put the idea in my mind, I bought a horse from him, the mare Queen’s Dream (Spirit Dancer’s dam).

“A friend of mine then put the idea in my head about buying the stud in Hemel Hempstead. I said we’d have a go and it’s been great. They are fantastic people there, we had a foal there last week by Stradivarius, so it’s great.”

It is Ferguson’s second trip to Saudi Arabia, the first was in 2008 when Manchester United played in a testimonial to honour local player Sam Al Jaber, who played over 150 times for his country.

“We came to Saudi about 15 years ago to play in a game to celebrate a famous player who had 150 international caps. The King bought 80,000 tickets and gave them all away to the people and it was fantastic,” said Ferguson.

Spirit Dancer is co-owned by bookmaker Fred Done and Ferguson’s big friend, Ged Mason, with whom he is involved with most of his horses – and who initiated a rather painful celebration in Bahrain.

“Ged broke my rib celebrating in Bahrain, I won’t mind him breaking another if it means we win!” said Ferguson.

Mason is loving being involved in the ride and is thrilled at the enjoyment Ferguson is getting from the game.

“When he came round the bend at Bahrain, it was a fantastic sight and the way he pulled away was a pinch yourself moment, to be honest,” said Mason.

“He got the invite to Bahrain because he’d produced the goodies at York. I’m so proud for Sir Alex because he bred him and he’s out of Frankel.

“I think our first venture into ownership was What A Friend and what a friend he was to us, he got our appetite for winning. Clan Des Obeaux won King Georges and Irish Gold Cups, it’s been a fantastic journey and we don’t want it to stop.”