Nicolas Bachalard’s star lines-up in race six on Saturday
Tuwaiq Cup winner Scotland Yard (USA) makes his eagerly-awaited return to action this Saturday on a brilliant weekend of racing at King Abdulaziz Racecourse which also includes the SAR1.5million UAE President Cup.
The latter is for Purebred Arabian Horses on Friday but all eyes will be on Saturday's sixth event in which Scotland Yard faces 15 rivals on his first outing since The Saudi Cup weekend when he blitzed the field to win by over five lengths.
Champion jockey Adel Alfouraidi's mount won three of this four outings last season and bigger targets will surely await the six-year-old, who ran eighth in the 2024 renewal of The Saudi Cup.
Saturday's SAR120,000 race over 1800m looks to be at his mercy with the White Stable of King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz & Sons' Bolide Porto (IRE) and the Humoud Mufarrej-trained The King's General (IRE) appearing as his main opponents.
The UAE President Cup – staged as race 10 on Friday – has a full complement of 20 runners chasing the huge prize fund and Abdulaziz Almosa's Najeeb Alzaman (FR) tops the ratings.
A winner of nine of his 14 starts including when last seen here in March, the six-year-old has top-class form to his name and finished third to Asfan Al Khalediah (KSA) in the 2024 Group 1 Obaiyah Arabian Classic.
The latter's trainer Nasser Mutlaq relies on Nadem Al Molwk Al Khalediah (KSA) but the winner of three of his four career stars hasn't been seen since December 2023, while his stablemate Mutwakel Alkhalediah (KSA) also has good form in that year but has only been seen once since and finished in fifth on the final day of the Taif season in September.
Also in with a big chance is the mare, Bint Ghaliat Al Khalediah (KSA) who won twice in Taif this summer before chasing home the brilliant Tilal AI Khalediah (KSA) and she will be ridden by Fahad Alfouraidi.
Other Purebred Arabian stars are on show in Saturday's first race – a 1200m SAR120,000 open – as recent scorer and Taif Sprint Championship Prep winner Baseqm And Bake (USA) renews rivalry with the Sprint Championship winner Jade De Faust (FR) after they finished first and second on September 26.
Also on Saturday, SAR150,000 is on offer for the Sultan Raei Algudah Cup in which 13 two-year-olds have been declared and the White Stable pair of Galb Alraad (USA) and Walad (USA) take on the Red Stable of Prince Faisal Bin Khaled Bin Abdulaziz's Anquod (GB).
There is also domestic Group 3 action on Friday with eleven set to go to post for the SAR165,000 Ministry of Interior Cup, in which the White Stable's Yaroa (KSA) appears to have been found a good opportunity after he lost his unbeaten record when third in the Africa Cup last month.
The other race of the same name over the 1800m is for three-year-olds and features seven runners headed by Fahad Alfouraidi's mount Badr Alsamawi (KSA) who has his first run since taking third in the Saudi Derby behind Golden Vekoma (USA).
