$2,500,000 Longines Red Sea Turf Handicap
Al Qareem (IRE) – Trainer Karl Burke said: “It’s a tough time of year to get a horse to peak for a race of this quality but my team have done a great job with him and he looked well on the track this morning. He is up to this class.”
Big Call (USA) – Trainer Christophe Ferland said: “Very content with how he was out on the track this morning. He has had a perfect preparation, has drawn well in gate four and it would be nice to race around midfield.”
Echt (JPN) – Was the only Japanese galloper who appeared on the turf track on Thursday morning. The six-year-old did a steady canter for a lap and a quarter under his assistant trainer Masaki Takano.
“He was a little too fresh as I gave him a rest yesterday but it’s his usual style. I felt his good turn of foot on the turf. I would say he is in fabulous shape ahead of the race,” Takano said.
Enemy (GB) – Appeared in the second batch to canter on the dirt course at 8am and has headed across after a reappearance win in Dubai in January.
“He was disappointing in the Ebor last year so we gelded him,” trainer Ian Williams said. “He really finished his comeback race off well and seems in good form so we’re hopeful of a good run.”
Nate The Great (GB) – Stepped out onto the turf track under regular rider Maddy O’Meara with Anna Lisa Balding, wife of Kingsclere trainer Andrew, watching on for the first time this week.
“I’ve just arrived but he looks fantastic and seems really good,” she said. “He just had a spin on the grass and so far, so good. He finished last year well and then had an easy few months with the Longines Red Sea Turf Handicap here as a target. He’s a little horse but he’s got a big heart. At the barrier draw we drew stall five and we’re happy with that – we’d rather be drawn there than on the outside.”
Silver Sonic (JPN) – Walked in the quarantine area.
“He has been tuned up since he galloped yesterday. He has settled well and looks good in form,” Keita Ikemoto, assistant to trainer Yasutoshi Ikee, said.
Subjectivist (GB) – Returned to the turf track on Thursday morning and joined Nate The Great and Missed The Cut in cantering 1600m. The 2021 Ascot Gold Cup winner was travelling strongly throughout his morning workout as he was reunited with his big race rider Joe Fanning.
Fanning suffered a shoulder injury in a fall last summer and only returned to race riding last week.
“Subjectivist went once around this morning with Missed The Cut and Nate The Great and the horse is fairly full of himself anyway. I’m more concerned about Joe’s shoulder than I am about the horse!” trainer Charlie Johnston said with a laugh.
“The horse seems in good fettle with himself and it’s all systems go. I think he is showing the signs of a horse who has spent 20 months away from the track and he was always quite a difficult horse to lead up, particularly on a raceday going back a couple of years so it doesn’t concern me to see him full of himself. In fact, I’d much rather see him like that than the other way. All good so far.”
$2,000,000 Obaiya Arabian Cassic
Meethag (FR) – Has been having an easy build-up along with stable companion Al Wakrah, who heads for Friday’s Al Mneefah Cup presented by the Ministry of Culture.
Trainer Eric Lemartinel said: “Both have travelled here well and they have felt good in the morning.”
Rysk Tout (FR) – The French trained six-year-old mare already came to Riyadh last year and produced a good performance when finishing fifth behind some very classy raiders in this race.
Trainer Charles Gourdain said: “She has never been an easy horse and can be her own worst enemy. However, she seems well and likes it here. In fact, I think she is improving. She seems in better form than I had her last year. Obviously, the race is very tough and there are some good horses in there, but she is definitely capable of springing a surprise.”
Samlla (FR) – The well-travelled individual has been very relaxed this week in his appearances with stable companion Djafar, who heads for the Al Mneefah Cup presented by the Ministry of Culture.
“I think Purebred Arabians are not as complicated as the English Thoroughbreds,” trainer Francois Rohaut said.
“They are not perturbed by anything, even when the trip is long like it was this time as they went from Pau to Chantilly, to Liege and then to Riyadh. But the trip went well. Obviously there are exceptions like Lady Princess, who is a bit complicated but they generally travel well.
“Samlla is well and so is Djafar, our work was done before we got here. Samlla will have to adapt to the dirt. I don’t know half of the horses that are running in the race, so I can’t say much. However, if you go by the rating, both are competitive.”
$1,500,000 Neom Turf Cup presented by Altanfeethi
Missed The Cut (USA) – Classic winning trainer George Boughey was present on Thursday morning to watch his latest international runner.
Missed The Cut, who will be ridden by Oisin Murphy, joined fellow British horses Subjectivist and Nate The Great on the turf track for a steady canter over 1600m.
“We’re happy with him,” Boughey said.
“He beat the Dubai World Cup favourite [Algiers] on the all-weather at Lingfield back in November and he comes here in super shape so we are looking forward to it.
“The Algiers form is obviously good form. Algiers has taken his form to a different level on the dirt in Meydan and this is a whole different kettle of fish for Missed The Cut. It is a tight 10 and a bit furlongs [2100m] around the turf here. He has got plenty of pace and I’m hoping he should go well.”
Dubai Future (GB) and White Moonlight (USA) – Tony Garth is representing trainer Saeed bin Suroor until the decorated trainer’s arrival.
“They have had a nice blow on the main dirt track this morning and I’d have to be happy with their condition overall,” Garth said.
“Dubai Future has a nice gate in two and hopefully he can tuck in just behind a decent pace like when he won the Bahrain International in November. He has good form behind a very good horse [Valiant Prince] more recently at Meydan, he is very experienced and he measures up well in a field as good as this. Danny Tudhope has a very good record on him also with two wins and a second from three rides.
“White Moonlight is a mare we have always liked but she has been lightly raced. She’s had a stop-start career because she’s such a big mare at 530kgs [1166lbs] and there have always been a few niggles associated. Her most recent runs this year have been very good in Dubai behind top fillies [Soft Whisper, With The Moonlight] and she has form at this trip. She has been leading in her races of late and from a wider gate her jockey Pat Cosgrave knows her well.”
Sir Busker (IRE) – Trainer William Knight cast his eye over his old favourite on his arrival in Saudi Arabia.
“He’s been in good order here and he arrives on the back of career best form last year with a Group 2 win and Group 1 place,” he said. “He has come out of his prep a few weeks ago at Lingfield very well and Ryan Moore is back on him. We’re hopeful of a big run.”
$1,500,000 1351 Turf Sprint presented by stc
Happy Romance (IRE) and Lusail (IRE) – Third to Songline last year, Happy Romance has returned to Saudi Arabia to try and go a couple of places better in the same race this Saturday. The daughter of Dandy Man will be joined by stable companion Lusail who runs in the same race for trainer Richard Hannon. Happy Romance joined fellow British-trained runners at 7am on the dirt track, with Lusail going alone at 9am.
“Both horses have done the work they needed at home so they were just in hand walking on Monday morning, they hacked yesterday morning and just did a nice steady canter from the seven furlong [1400m] pole today. They’ll do the same tomorrow through to Saturday now. They travelled well and are easy horses,” Hector Tournier, representing Hannon, said.
Lauda Sion (JPN) – The winner of the NHK Mile Cup in Japan returns to the race he finished fourth in last year. He had a breeze on the dirt track under jockey Bauyrzhan Murzabayev.
“Shigeki Todo, the assistant trainer to Takashi Saito who was overseeing the work, said: “We prefer giving just a stretching-out breeze rather than fast gallop on the week of the race – it is our stable’s routine. He looked under control this morning with the jockey which I always want to see.”