Glorious Spectrum was winless in four starts in the 2018-19 Hong Kong season with valid excuses – he never had a clean trip.

Glorious Spectrum was hampered, crowded a few times and forced to check in the stretch on one occasion. Despite all that, he finished second in his final two starts.

In December, Glorious Spectrum was transferred from trainer Frankie Lor to Ricky Yui. Sunday at Sha Tin Racecourse, Glorious Spectrum will start for the first time since July in the $269,438 Cheung Shan Handicap at seven furlongs on turf.

SHA TIN SELECTIONS
(Sunday, March 1, 2020)

Betting on the two cards held in Saudi Arabia on Friday and Saturday will be widely available through account-wagering operations and many brick-and-mortar sites in the U.S., along with countries in Europe, Scandinavia, and Africa, according to the host of the pool.

Takeout for win, place, and show bets will be 20 percent, according to the officials, while all other wagers – including exacta, trifecta, superfecta, and linked bets like the pick 3, pick 4, and pick 6 – will be 27 percent. Bets from all countries participating in the pool will be commingled.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Cultural differences aside, America and Saudi Arabia share a sporting appreciation for horse racing similar to other countries around the world, including Japan, Australia, England, France, and the United Arab Emirates.

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RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – The undercard stakes program for the inaugural Saudi Cup attracted quality for two key reasons – high prize money and confidence in both surfaces at King Abdulaziz Racetrack.

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The eight-race card begins with three races on the new turf course at King Abdulaziz. The remainder of the card is on dirt, including the $1.5 million Saudia Sprint, race 7, and $20 million Saudi Cup, race 8.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – It is a long way to travel to restore a reputation – 7,500 miles from Florida to Saudi Arabia. The trip makes sense for premier sprinter Imperial Hint.

Scratched from the Breeders’ Cup Sprint in fall at Santa Anita, third at even-money in his winter return at Gulfstream Park, Imperial Hint has a score to settle Saturday in Saudi Arabia where the multiple Grade 1 winner is favored in the $1.5 million Saudia Sprint at King Abdulaziz Racetrack.

Through her 33-race winning streak, the mare Winx won the Group 1 Chipping Norton at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Australia in four consecutive seasons from 2016 to 2019 for the seventh, 15^th, 23^rd and 31^st wins of the streak.

Winx was retired last year. The new name on the Chipping Norton Stakes list of winners after Saturday’s race may be Happy Clapper, the gelding who finished behind Winx in 11 of her wins.

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RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – In a Saudi Arabian desert or an Iowa cornfield, there is plenty to chase.

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RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – It makes sense to believe the five American dirt horses in the $20 million Saudi Cup hold a built-in advantage. After all, the Saudi Cup is dirt, which is what American horses still do best.

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However, the main track at King Abdulaziz Racetrack is perhaps unlike any on which they have raced. The early speed produced by Maximum Security and McKinzie might be less advantageous in the Saudi desert compared to in California or New York.

It’s a quiet week of racing at Meydan in Dubai, especially considering the fireworks taking place this weekend about 600 miles nearly due west. There sits Riyadh, site of Saturday’s $20 million Saudi Cup and rich undercard, while Thursday at Meydan, the Thoroughbred feature is the Group 3, $300,000 Nad Al Sheba Trophy Stakes.

The Nad Al Sheba Trophy is carded at about 14 furlongs on turf, a stayers race, and is part of the local road to the $1.5 million Dubai Gold Cup, a two-mile race on the Dubai World Cup undercard March 28.