Competitive U.S contingent arrives in Saudi Arabia
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HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – The small but very talented U.S. contingent that’s expected to race on the undercard of the $20 million Saudi Cup on Feb. 22 arrived safely in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday.
The group is led by 2024 sprint champion Straight No Chaser (Riyadh Dirt Sprint) and includes the South Florida-based duo of Howard Wolowitz (Turf Sprint) and Cyclone State (Saudi Derby), a Kentucky Derby hopeful. They all figure to be among the favorites in their respective races.
Trainer Jose D’Angelo confirmed shortly after training hours Wednesday that Howard Wolowitz was on a van en route to the track and doing well following the long journey to the Middle East. D’Angelo expressed confidence that his horse was going to run big a week from Saturday in the $2 million, 6 1/2-furlong Turf Sprint.
Howard Wolowitz sandwiched a pair of victories, including the Grade 1 Franklin-Simpson last summer at Kentucky Downs, around a troubled ninth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint to close out his 3-year-old campaign. He has been pointed toward the race in Saudi Arabia since his 1 1/2-length triumph over the synthetic track at Turfway Park in the Holiday Cheer Stakes on Dec. 14.
“He was very unlucky in the Breeders’ Cup, and the distance was probably too short for him anyway,” said D’Angelo, who sent out Bentornato to finish third a year ago in the Grade 3 Saudi Derby. “His last race was strong, and I think we have a big chance over there because this race, like the last one, is at his best distance of 6 1/2 furlongs.”
Trainer Chad Summers is high on the speedy Cyclone State, who comes into the Saudi Derby having won his last three starts, including the one-mile Jerome on Jan. 4. After that race, he was vanned to Palm Meadows, where he worked three times prior to boarding the Miami flight to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.
“We were high on him from the start but had to fix a few things right off the bat, and he’s taken the natural kind of progression you want to see a 3-year-old like this take,” said Summers. “We looked at all our options regarding Derby preps to see where everyone else was going and just felt this was the best one for him. With his running style and his gait, we feel he was tailor-made for that racetrack over there. And look how well Forever Young and Bentornato did coming out of the same race last year.”
Both D’Angelo and Summers said they are going to stick with their regular jockeys, with Emisael Jaramillo riding Howard Wolowitz and Luis Rivera Jr. taking his usual seat aboard Cyclone State.
“Luis is going to turn 19 over there, and I know it’s a lot to ask of a young rider to make the trip and go up against the best jockeys in the world,” Summers explained. “But in my mind, he’s already been doing that, riding against the best every day in New York.”
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