Ted Durcan may have retired from race-riding exactly four years ago but you wouldn’t know it to look at him. The former UAE champion jockey looks as trim as ever and he is regularly spotted on Newmarket Heath riding out for leading British trainer Sir Michael Stoute.
In part, it is that role which brings him to Riyadh this week, as Durcan has been on the track in the mornings on board Solid Stone (IRE), who runs in The Neom Turf Cup presented by Jahez for Stoute and owner Saeed Suhail. But the Irishman will also be keeping a keen eye on Cold Front (IRE) in the 1351 Turf Sprint presented by stc.
In Durcan’s now-principal role as a bloodstock agent, he was responsible for buying the five-year-old for owner Mohammed Omar Alsakran and trainer Mohammed Alhirabi from William Haggas’s stable, and Cold Front is one of a number of horses he has secured for Saudi Arabian interests in recent seasons.
“I’ve had a lot of luck sourcing horses for Saudi Arabia,” Durcan says. “I’ve sent a lot out here, one of which, Cold Front, runs in the Turf Sprint and he has won his last three races out here.”
Durcan spent many seasons based in Dubai in his riding days and he has fond memories of competing in Riyadh at King Abdulaziz Racecourse.
He says: “We used to come over to Saudi Arabia from Dubai, but there was no turf track here back then. This is the best dirt track that I ever rode on. It’s very fair, and kinder than a lot of others, insofar as it’s not so harsh. There’s also no bias so you can basically win from anywhere. And with the longer straight, it often plays into horses arriving off the pace as well. It’s a very fair racetrack and everyone loves riding it.”
Durcan has also been pleased to see such an expansion of racing in the Gulf states.
“I think it’s brilliant,” he adds. “I think all the nations have kind of learned from each other. Obviously, it isn’t easy moving horses around, but the world is a much smaller place these days.
“Saudi Arabia has made huge headway in recent years, so has Bahrain, and Meydan also puts on amazing racing. I think it has been a magnificent development for everyone. In the Gulf at the moment there is huge interest from the local people, and they are prepared to spend money to buy good horses as there is really decent prize-money for the races.”