Spirit Dancer powers home to give Ferguson huge win in Riyadh
SPIRIT DANCER landed another huge prize for part-owner Sir Alex Ferguson when flying home to take the Howden Neom Turf Cup at the Saudi Cup meeting. Trained by Richard Fahey and co-owned by Ferguson, Ged Mason and Fred Done, the Frankel gelding is the usual ride of jockey Oisin Orr. The pair travelled out to Bahrain last year to tackle the Group Two Bahrain International Trophy and after succeeding there, they set their sights on the Neom Turf Cup after first visiting Meydan in January.
Another Group Two event, the Neom Turf Cup, worth almost £1 million to the winner, had attracted a deep field that included Aidan O’Brien’s Luxembourg, Andrew Balding’s The Foxes and John and Thady Gosden’s Jack Darcy.
The latter cut out the running early on and was closely followed by Luxembourg, who was given a positive ride by Ryan Moore and looked the winner in the home straight.
With two furlongs left to travel it was Spirit Dancer who was going best of all, however, cruising down the centre of the track to sweep to an impressive and valuable victory.
Ferguson also bred the horse alongside Niall McLoughlin and said of the performance: “It was fantastic. After the triumph in Bahrain and coming to this level and looking at the field – the performance from Oisin and the horse was unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable.
“Richard has made the point a few times that the horse hasn’t had a lot of racing, he has been trying to step it up and I think you’ve seen the evidence today.
“Oisin said to me that the horse is improving all the time and the evidence is there. I’m delighted.”
Mason, who owns several other horses over both Flat and National Hunt codes, added: “It still feels like a dream, I have to pinch myself. He finished like a steam engine and Alex said ‘He’s a Frankel, remember that’. I’m delighted, it’s absolutely brilliant.
“That was a class act of entries there, that performance was extra special.
“If he doesn’t mind me saying, Alex had a dream this morning and he dreamed that we won!”
Fahey, who has trained the sevenyear-old to win eight times now, added: “I’d say it’ll be very hard not to send him to Dubai, we’ll see how he is and make a decision but I’d be a little bit shocked if he doesn’t line up in something on World Cup night.
“I’ve always wanted to stretch him out to a mile-and-a-half, but the horse hasn’t stopped blowing yet, so let him blow and we’ll work it out!
“Any horse that can win on the international scene like this, they become the people’s horse and he’s heading that way. He’s got a huge fan base, he’s a progressive horse that’s heading the right way.
“He gets his head down and gallops all the way to the line, people who are involved in horse racing love to see horses do that.”
Mick Appleby pulled off another lucrative overseas raid as Annaf landed the Saudi National Bank 1351 Turf Sprint.
The five-year-old was drawn in stall 12 as Rossa Ryan took up the reins in Riyadh, but under a clever ride he was able to take cover on the inside rail when switched across at the rear of the field.
From there he allowed other horses to fold ahead of him and after the home turn, he accelerated away to cross the line comfortably ahead of Takashi Saito’s La La Christine.
“He gave him a great ride – it’s all down to Rossa, not my training!” Appleby said. “He keeps improving and keeps surprising us. Where we go next, god knows. He’s got an invite to Japan so we’ll maybe go there next.
“We’ve always thought he was a good horse and that he would get better with age, there’s more to come still.”
Ryan, who has struck up a good bond with the horse, said: “I’ve always ridden him for luck and it’s always just seemed to work. He lets the hard hitters make the running early and just picks up the pieces.
“We went a right good gallop and when I got out the gates and into stride and in on the rail, I was where I wanted to be.
“Luckily the gaps came and he’s very good. I know he has the pace to get me out of trouble, which is a great thing to have up your sleeve, and he can travel into gaps like good horses can. I didn’t have a lot of room but he stuck his head through it and away he went.”
Tower Of London had to pass nearly the whole field but still managed to prevail in the Longines Red Sea Turf Handicap.
O’Brien’s four-year-old was partnered by Ryan Moore for the Group
Three handicap, carrying 9st 5lb on his first run of the year after finishing fourth in the St Leger last season. Drawn wide in stall 12, the bay tracked across to the inner rail and settled at the rear of the field where he stayed until rounding the final bend.
In the home straight he had all but one or two trailers ahead of him, picking off each rival one by one and eventually drawing level with the race leaders, fellow Europeans Enemy and Giavellotto, before just getting his head in front on the line.
Senor Buscador grasped victory in the final strides to land the Saudi Cup for American trainer Todd Fincher.
The six-year-old was ridden by Junior Alvarado and started in stall four for the Group One, which is worth nearly £8m to the winning connections.
Saudi Crown made the running around the one-mile-one-furlong trip and as the field of 14 rounded the home turn, Senor Buscador had only fading horses behind him and a significant amount of ground to make up. The bay began to accelerate and pass horses in the home straight, making his way to the front, and just pipping Japanese raider Ushba Tesoro to the line.
Meanwhile, there was more joy for Ferguson at Kempton as Kalif Du Berlais, who he part owns, maintained his unbeaten record, winning the Coral Adonis Juvenile Hurdle.
It was fantastic. After the triumph in Bahrain and coming to this level and looking at the field – the performance from Oisin and the horse was unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable