Smith wins Saudi jockey competition, raves about surface at King Abdulaziz Racetrack

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Mike Smith made a grand return to the Middle East and a bold statement about racing surfaces Friday night in Saudi Arabia.

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A day before his scheduled ride on Midnight Bisou in the $20 million Saudi Cup, Smith won with two of four mounts to capture a jockey competition and offered praise of the King Abdulaziz Racetrack surface that will resonate at his home track.

“We need to tell Santa Anita about this track, right now,” Smith said after his final ride. He was referring to the King Abdulaziz dirt, which has received glowing reviews from American trainers in the morning hours, and unqualified endorsement from Smith on Friday night.

“This is one of the best dirt courses I’ve been on,” Smith said after the first of his two wins Friday. “This stuff is wonderful. It’s so kind, so soft. It has just enough slide in it where it is not too cuppy.”

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Smith, a Hall of Fame rider and Dubai World Cup winner in 2017 on Arrogate, said King Abdulaziz “is one of the best dirt courses I’ve been on. It’s very, very kind. It’s very, very safe. Look at me, I just came from last [finished fifth] and I don’t have a thing on me. I haven’t washed my face all day. I wore one set of goggles going a mile an eighth.”

Smith said the surface reminded him of Hialeah in the 1990s, a track he said included organic material from beanstalks tilled into the surface. Smith said at Hialeah “you didn’t hear anything, it was so soft. It was because of the organic material. That’s what this feels like. It’s organic-y. That’s the key.”

Track superintendent Bob Turman, who early this week said the surface included a significant organic component, spoke with Smith after his final mount. Turman said, “I think this track would work in California. You’ve got warm weather, and you don’t get a lot of rain.” Turman said Riyadh gets 9 to 10 inches of rain during the six-month racing season from autumn to spring.

Smith won with his second and third mounts, one setting the pace and another pressing from second positon. Although forwardly placed runners won a majority of the races on Friday, closers won at least two races.

Lisa Alpress became the first female to win a race at King Abdulaziz, taking race 3, the first leg of the International Jockeys Challenge, on Matmon. After Smith’s two wins, female rider Sybille Vogt won the final race of the competition.