On a glittering Saturday night of racing worth more than SAR4.5m ($1.2m), at the JCSA’s King Khalid Racecourse, Saudi Arabian jockey, Abdullah Alawfi, celebrated a memorable feature race double for Al Khalediah Stables and trainer Saad Mutleq with Asfan Al Khalediah landing the Listed King Faisal Cup and Qaswarat Al Khalediah taking the Prince Abdullah Alfaisal Cup.
Both races were worth SAR1m ($266,000) on one of the biggest days of the summer racing season in Ta’if, the only racecourse in the Middle East that races during the summer thanks to its high altitude.
Prep race winner, Asfan Al Khalediah crossed the line more than 15 lengths ahead in the King Faisal Cup while stable companion Qaswarat Al Khalediah passed the post in front by 2 ¼ lengths in the preceding Prince Abdullah Alfaisal Cup.
It was only the second renewal of the 1600m King Faisal Cup for three-year-old Purebred Arabians and followed Tilal Al Khalediah’s success in the inaugural running 12 months ago for the Al Khalediah Stables which now boasts a perfect record in the race.
Describing his success on Asfan Al Khalediah, Alawfi said: “I was wary of the filly Katebat Al Khalediah but as it turned out I knew I had won from 800m out. I’ve won three from three on Asfan now, he’s an excellent horse. I feel that Asfan could emulate Tilal Al Khalediah who was the winner of this race in 2021 and went on to also win the King Abdulaziz Cup [in Riyadh] for Purebred Arabians.”
HRH Prince Bandar Bin Khalid Alfaisal, Chairman of the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia, said: “I extend my congratulations to Prince Khalid Bin Sultan Bin Abdulaziz’s Al Khalediah Stables on their victory in this second renewal of the King Faisal Cup. This is a race that will continue to grow in stature and the names on this trophy will become part of Saudi racing history.
“As an internationally classified Listed contest, the Listed King Faisal Cup has global importance for Purebred Arabian racing, yet we also attach great domestic significance to this race and our entire programme of Arabian racing across both Ta’if and Riyadh seasons.
“Arabian racing horses represent not only a key area of Saudi Arabian heritage but as foundation sires, Arabians have also played a considerable role in the international evolution of Thoroughbred racing.
“Every year we look at ways to further support the trainers and owners of Purebred Arabian racehorses and seek to make positive changes to our programme, giving them more targets each season.”
Marwan Alolayan, CEO of the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia, added: “It has been great to see so many people here today enjoying the racing and the family entertainment. The King Faisal Cup is a relatively new race, but as a Purebred Arabian contest it embodies a great amount of history for Saudi Arabia.
“As an industry, Saudi Arabian racing is evolving at a fast pace and while we are making great progress on the international stage, as borne out by the success of The Saudi Cup, we are also keen to showcase the sport and its opportunities to our communities.
“Racing is one of the most popular forms of sporting entertainment around the world and we hope to continue to attract greater numbers of fans to this industry during the coming seasons.”
Salem Binmafhooz, Director of Racing for the JCSA, said: “We have been racing in Ta’if for two decades but, like all racing in Saudi Arabia, the Ta’if season received a boost thanks to the international profile of The Saudi Cup.
“Racing in Ta’if has taken on extra significance in recent years because it is unique in the region in being able to stage temperate summertime racing thanks to its location and altitude.
“We are in the process of finalising infrastructure developments at King Khalid Racecourse that in coming seasons will allow us to accommodate horses from across the region making Ta’if a hub for the other racing jurisdictions in the GCC.”