Ancestral Land hard to beat in King Khaled Uni
Last season’s sprinting star to get on front foot at first outing of new Saudi campaign
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Ancestral Land (Joel Rosario) winning the Riyadh Dirt Sprint Qualifier (1,200m) at King Abdulaziz racecourse on Jan 25, 2025. He was then trained by Jimmy Jerkens and has since moved to trainer Sultan bin Jalal and will be ridden by Nawaf Almudiani in the King Khaled University Cup (1,400m) on Jan 3.
Photo: Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia
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RIYADH – Ancestral Land, last season’s sprinting success story, remerges for a new campaign by heading a full-field of 20 runners in the 150,000-riyal King Khaled University Cup at King Abdulaziz racecourse on Jan 3.
The Red Stable of Prince Faisal Bin Khaled bin Abdulaziz is well represented in the 1,400m event with three runners.
The mount of Nawaf Almudiani is by far the pick, having left Clive Cox in the UK before registering four wins in Riyadh last term.
His final success came with a comprehensive victory in the Dirt Sprint Qualifier (1,200m) in January. He then finished an honourable sixth to the Breeders’ Cup US-based winner Straight No Chaser in the Group 2 Riyadh Dirt Sprint (1,200m) on Saudi Cup weekend.
The Sioux Nation six-year-old will also be having his first outing for Sultan bin Jalal, having previously been in the care of ex-Saudi-based American conditioner Jimmy Jerkens.
The main danger appears to be Luis Morales’ mount Love De Vega, who was also progressive last season – finishing third in the 1351 Sprint Qualifier – and has his first start since winning in March. Another threat is the Adel Alfouraidi-ridden Power Of Beauty, who was eighth in the Riyadh Dirt Sprint.
Jan 3 also features two stand-out races for three-year-olds, and Camilio Ospina takes the mount of November’s impressive winner Zanaat for the White Stable of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz in the 150,000-riyal Ministry of Sports Cup for fillies over 1,800m.
The equivalent race for colts and geldings is the 1,600m, 150,000-riyal Saudi Broadcasting Authorities Cup. Seventeen runners will go to post, with Tuwajeri top-rated for jockey Muhammad Aldaham, trainer Thamer Aldaihani and owner Sheikh Abdullah Homoud Almalek Alsabah.
A competitive Open over 1,800m, worth 120,000 riyals, rounds off the Jan 3 card, in which Alfouraidi and the Red Stable have an excellent chance with Painters Palette, who bids to follow up a recent 5¼-length victory.
The action on Jan 2 is dominated by The Primary Champion of the Racecourses Sponsored by the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia.
That race is part of a three-legged series, sitting alongside the Prince Fahad bin Jalawi Cup and the Prince Abdullah bin Jalawi Cup. All are worth a valuable 300,000 riyals.
The former is over 1,200m for older horses and has a field of seven. It is headed by two highly rated runners in Aldaihani’s Muqtahem, who bids for a fifth win on the bounce, and Red Stable runner Zefzaf, who got back to winning ways on Dec 19.
The latter is for three-year-old fillies over 1,400m. It features Sioux Perfect, who left Andrew Balding in the UK to join trainer Nawaf Aldaihani, and built on her weak debut to score last weekend.
A maximum field has been declared for the Primary Champion of the Racecourses for four-year-old fillies over 1,800m topped by Ableekh and Okht Saham, while 16 have been declared for the Purebred Arabian version of the Primary Champions race over 2,000m open to both sexes.
Top rated in that are Alkomndaan and Midhass, while Nijinski Al Maury, Saif Barzan and Al Kaaser are the standouts in the all-aged event over 1,800m. JOCKEY CLUB OF SAUDI ARABIA
