Al Riffa is set to try to add to Joseph O’Brien’s bulging international CV when leading the Irish trainer’s triple challenge at the $38 million Saudi Cup meeting this Saturday.
O’Brien is not represented in the $20 million Saudi Cup – the world’s richest race – but Al Riffa will be among those on the hunt for big money on the undercard. The dual Group One winner will be joined by stable companion Trustyourinstinct in the $2 million Neom Turf Cup and renowned Japanese rider Yutaka Take will again take the mount.
Take was on board Al Riffa when they finished out of the money in last year’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. Prior to that the horse had won at the top level in Germany in the Grosser Preis Von Berlin.
Al Riffa is a 2/1 second favourite with some firms for the Group Two race which sees last year’s Japan Cup runner-up Shin Emperor top the betting. Shin Emperor was also unplaced in the Arc and ran an honourable third to Economics in the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown.
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O’Brien’s Apples and Bananas is set to run in the $1.5 million Group Three Saudi Derby on Saturday’s undercard at the King Abdulaziz racetrack outside Riyadh. It will be a first run on dirt for the colt who landed a big money pot in last year’s Goffs Million and was subsequently third in the Criterium International. Dylan Browne McMonagle rides him and Trustyourinstinct.
“They arrived in Saudi this morning and all is good,” the trainer said on Monday.
A pair of Melbourne Cup victories are already among O’Brien’s global successes as a trainer with other high-profile victories in the US and Australia.
Irish interest in Riyadh on Saturday will also include Aidan O’Brien’s 2023 St Leger winner Continuous. He is set to try to emulate Tower Of London who landed last year’s Red Sea Handicap for Ballydoyle. That was a first success in Saudi Arabia for O’Brien Snr.
This time the $2.5 million race is run as a Group Two, and Continuous will try for a first victory since beating Trustyourinstinct in last summer’s Royal Whip at the Curragh.
The Japanese-bred colt last appeared in Hong Kong when never figuring behind Giavellotooin the International Vase at Sha Tin.
Likely opposition includes the high-class John Gosden-trained stayer Gregory and Deira Mile who ran fourth in last year’s Epsom Derby and St Leger. The latter currently disputes favouritism with another British runner Al Nayyir.
