Saudi Arabia: Frankie Dettori is among the first group of superstar riders confirmed to compete in the Saudi Cup International Jockeys Challenge at King Abdulaziz racecourse in Riyadh on Friday, February 24.
The Italian will be making his 11th appearance altogether in Saudi Arabia, where he has ridden six winners from 72 rides, on what promises to be his final year in the saddle.
The Jockeys Challenge is held the day before the $20m Saudi Cup, the world’s richest race on Saturday, February 25.
“In my final year as a jockey I want to go to as many places as possible and being able to compete in the IJC at The Saudi Cup is a huge event that I’m delighted to be a part of,” said Dettori, who is currently riding at Santa Anita in southern California.
“This will be one of my final chances to share a weighing room with some of the world’s greatest jockeys, and I look forward to seeing who else I’m going to come up against,” the jockey added. “Joao Moreira has been confirmed, as has last year’s winner Caitlin Jones, so the competition already looks pretty fierce.”
Dettori went on: “I know both the dirt and the turf tracks well having ridden in Riyadh quite a lot over the years, and it’s a place I enjoy riding at as it’s very fair and the surfaces are always in great condition.
“It’s also a great warm-up event for the big Group races on the Saturday, and of course the Saudi Cup itself, which I’d love to win.”
Last year’s winner, the Australian rider Caitlin Jones, has been invited back to defend her title. “It’s hard to believe it’s nearly been a year since I rode in the International Jockeys Challenge,” she said.
“It was extra-special to ride alongside Glen Boss during his last hurrah and have him standing on the podium with me. That’s a memory I will never forget.
“I hadn’t had much experience on a dirt track, but it was a great surface to race on,” Jones went on. “You could travel wherever you were and if you were good enough you could win from anywhere. There wasn’t a lot of kickback, it’s an elite surface on every level. They’ve done a wonderful job with it.
“I couldn’t be happier to have been asked to come back and try to retain my title – it would be pretty cheeky if I managed it, wouldn’t it?! I’ll be going out there with every intention of taking it out a second time, but you need a lot of luck with the horses you get drawn. I can’t wait to be back competing in Saudi Arabia again.”
Four-time Hong Kong champion Joao Moreira is another high-profile name confirmed to ride in the four-race challenge.
The Brazilian is back in his native land after leaving Hong Kong last year but is planning to ride more internationally in the coming months.
“This is a great opportunity for me to ride in a place I’ve never been before and I wouldn’t miss a chance to ride at a different racecourse and to get that stamp on my CV,” said the jockey known as ‘Magic Man’.
“I’ve heard the infrastructure is good over there and I’ve no doubt that the event they are going to put on will be top-class. Whoever is there, I’m sure they are going to see some great riders doing their best and putting on a very good show.
“Frankie’s just a brilliant rider, he’s the best. Getting the chance to ride with him once again is fantastic.”
The second of the seven female riders to be confirmed is Canadian Chantal Sutherland, who has ridden over 1,200 winners, including three G1s.
“It’s a huge opportunity which I’m super-excited about,” she said. “I’ve never been to Saudi but it’s always been on the bucket list as I love these jockey challenges. I’ve had a really good year in Florida so far and I can’t wait to head over.
“To ride against the likes of Frankie and Caitlin Jones is a real honour,” Sutherland added. “I know Frankie well and have ridden against him plenty of times – he’s a lot of fun and the crowds always love him.”
The International Jockeys Challenge features four handicaps, each run for $400,000, with a further $100,000 prize fund for the challenge itself.
The jockeys are made up of seven international female riders, five international men and two local men with the jockeys receiving 15% of prize-money won in each of the four races.
All races will consist of 14 runners and five reserves, with all 14 jockeys riding in each race. Two races will be staged on dirt and two on turf, with the distances ranging from 1,200m to 2,100m.
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