Retired Australian superstar Glen Boss, the man who rode the great Makybe Diva to win three Melbourne Cups, is making a one-off return to the saddle to take part in the stc International Jockeys Challenge at the Saudi Cup meeting in Riyadh in February.
The Australian Hall of Famer is one of the first three jockeys to be announced for the third edition of the event, which includes seven men and seven women racing against each other in four races on the eve of the world’s richest race.
Last year’s winner, Ireland’s Shane Foley, returns to defend his crown and Hayley Turner, the first female jockey in Britain to ride 100 winners in a calendar year, will also take her place in the line-up.
Boss, 52, who has ridden 90 G1 winners, is looking forward to his return to race-riding. “I feel privileged and honoured to be a part of the 2022 International Jockeys Challenge at the Saudi Cup,” he said. “I am extremely grateful to be representing Australia on the international stage and am eagerly looking forward to my arrival in Saudi Arabia for their prestigious carnival.
Reigning champ Foley, 33, said, “I really enjoyed my first International Jockeys Challenge. It was a pleasure to ride against some great jockeys and I thought the track rode very well. It’s nice to see them including the turf in this year’s event, which might even give the European jockeys a bit of an edge.
“I knew after reading through the form last year that I had a couple of okay rides and it really is down to the luck of the draw in these jockey challenges. I got a few good chances, and it all went well for me thankfully. You need to get drawn on the good horses.
“I’m having an operation on my hip this week and so will be out of action for about six weeks, but I should be back riding and ready to go a good fortnight before the meeting.
“The prize money is brilliant, and you just have to see the list of jockeys that go out there to gauge how important it is for us. It’s nice to be competing alongside them all, and the likes of Saudi, Dubai and Bahrain are the places we need to be during the winter.”
He added, “I know [Irish trainer] Jessie [Harrington] will be aiming a couple for the Saturday too, including Ever Present in the Red Sea Turf and possibly Confident Star in the Saudi Derby, so it would be nice to have some rides on Saudi Cup day too.”
Turner, 38, one of Britain’s most successful female jockeys, is excited about the challenge, especially as she’s had a spell on the sidelines after breaking her thumb. “This will be my first time riding in Saudi and I’m really looking forward to it,” she said. “Hollie [Doyle] rode out there this year and I’ve spoken to a few others who have said it’s a really nice track to ride.
The stc International Jockeys Challenge features four handicap races being run for $400,000 each, with a further $100,000 prize fund for the challenge itself.
This year one race over 1200m will be run on turf for the first time and all races will consist of 14 runners and five reserves, with all 14 jockeys riding in each race.
The jockeys are made up of seven international female riders, five international men and two local men with the jockeys receiving 15 percent of prize money won.