Five stakes races with total purses of $6.8 million will be held as part of the undercard for the inaugural $20 million Saudi Cup, the Saudi racing authorities announced on Monday.
The richest of the five races will be a 15-furlong handicap turf race worth a total of $2.5 million, the announcement said. That race will be one of three races held on a grass course that the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia will install at King Abdulaziz Racetrack in Riyadh prior to the Saudi Cup, scheduled for Feb. 29.
Hong Kong Bet, a 4-year-old Australian-bred gelding, had his first season of racing in Hong Kong in 2018-19, winning two of six starts.
The wins were at five furlongs on turf at Happy Valley Racecourse in May and July, the final months of a season that ended in July. Hong Kong resumed racing earlier this month, and Hong Kong Bet will have his first start of the new term in familiar surroundings.
The turf sprinter Fairyland and 2-year-old filly Love earned fees-paid berths to Breeders’ Cup races at Santa Anita on Nov. 1-2 after winning Group 1 races on an outstanding program at the Curragh in Ireland on Sunday.
The star of the program, however, was the 2-year-old colt Pinatubo, who remained unbeaten after five starts with a win in the Group 1 National Stakes for colts and fillies.
American owner Peter Brant campaigns some of the best turf horses in the U.S. and now has come up with a real contender for the Group 1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe next month in Paris.
Sottsass, making his first start since winning the French Derby in June and racing over a distance as far as 1 1/2 miles for the first time, escaped from a pocket in the final furlong and won the Group 2 Prix Niel by 1 1/4 lengths Sunday at Longchamp.
Styling City drops a class, perhaps into a winning spot, in the featured ninth race Sunday at Sha Tin Racecourse in Hong Kong.
Had she come along at a different time, Magical might be hailed as a superstar, but Magical races in the shadow of the great Enable, although on Saturday at Leopardstown, Magical showed again she casts her own long shadow winning the Group 1 Irish Champion Stakes by 2 1/4 lengths.
Brett Davis – Selections
R1 – 7-4-2-3-6
R2 – 3-4-8-1-9
R3 – 6-1-2-4-7
R4 – 7-2-9-6-1
R5 – 8-1-3-4-6
R6 – 12-2-5-6-1
R7 – 13-12-6-1-14
R8 – 9-3-1-11-8
R9 – 3-7-9-5-1
R10 – 3-11-9-1-2
Best – R10 N3 Happy Fun
Longshot – R7 N13 Telecom Rocket
Best Play – R7 Q/Qp 6,12,13
Paul Lally:
R1 3-4-6-2
R2 4-6-3-1
R3 6-9-2-5
R4 3-2-1-5
R5 1-6-3-4
R6 2-5-6-12
R7 6-14-4-8
R8 1-11-3-9
R9 11-4-3-7
R10 3-1-13-7
Logician ended a perfect 3-year-old season with a sharp win in Saturday’s Group 1 English St. Leger at Doncaster Racecourse.
Logician is not expected to race again this year, trainer John Gosden said in the winner’s circle.
Ridden by Frankie Dettori, Logician (5-6) closed from sixth in a field of eight to reach contention with three furlongs remaining. Dettori guided Logician to the outside rail on the right-handed track and took the lead with a quarter-mile remaining.
