A new SA is kicking up dust in the desert

The practice of throwing money at a problem is often frowned upon, but it can work a treat – as long as you keep South African politicians well away.

Saudi Arabian horse racing is an example. A few years ago, the rulers of the Arabian kingdom decided the glamour and excitement of racing was devoutly to be wished for.

The way elitism and riches are projected at the likes of Royal Ascot – in-your-face, yet with civility and decorum, and with class divisions neatly smoothed over by “the show” – holds much appeal for nominally important people.

Dubai World Cup

The Saudi princes had the example of tiny near neighbours Dubai to envy, too. The emirate gatecrashed global racing by establishing the world’s richest race, the Dubai World Cup, in 1996 with a purse of $4-million. Of course, Dubai has had to keep raising the stakes to stay in the limelight, and the current pot stands at $12-million.

Saudi Arabia, much bigger and much, much richer, dug around the back of the sofa and found some small change, trumping everyone in 2020 with the $20-million Saudi Cup. That was just for the main race; quite a few million more were offered in supporting races at the two-day racing festival in late February.

Giants of the racing world took the bait, with America, Britain, Ireland, France and Japan shipping horses to King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh.

The 2020 Saudi Cup was won by US star Maximum Security, trained by Jason Servis and ridden by Luiz Saez. The 2021 renewal went to English galloper Mishriff, saddled by John Gosden and ridden by David Egan, while 2022 saw a local triumph for Emblem Road, trained by Mitab Almulawah and ridden by Wigberto Ramos.

2023 Saudi Cup

The 2023 festival takes place on Friday and Saturday this week.

The two most-fancied runners for the Cup have been flown in by US Hall Of Fame trainer Bob Baffert – last year’s runner up Country Grammar (4-1) and Taiba (2-1), a dominant winner of the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes when last out.

The world’s most famous jockey, Frankie Dettori, in his farewell season, partners Country Grammar.

Dettori who tops the bill at Friday’s International Jockey Challenge, describes the King Abdulaziz track as the best dirt surface in the world.

Geoff Woodruff

The South African racing world probably feels dwarfed and deflated by all this, but it has a tiny flag fluttering in the Arabian sands. Multiple South African champion trainer and all-round good guy Geoff Woodruff has a runner on the Friday card.

Woodruff retired in 2021, but then had an offer he could hardly refuse, from Sheikh Abdulelah Almousa’s new stable in Riyadh. “The Guv” kicked off with a first winner in November 2022 and has since clocked up a further eight, from 34 runs for a brilliant winning rate of 26.47% – way better than even the top local trainer.

Woodruff saddles three-year-old Alia in the Fillies Open Cup, with Panamanian rider Victor Gutierrez aboard.

Of course, the Saudi Cup is part of the kingdom’s very expensive PR and charm offensive of recent years, with LIV Golf currently being the most controversial element.

The killing and sawing up of Saudi journalist Jamal Kashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul brought Western opprobrium down on the government in no uncertain terms. The country’s leaders have been desperately trying to bury memory of this dreadful deed – or rather “wash” it away, most notably with sports extravaganzas.

Hosting the popular Dakar rally has been one other such venture.

Some tennis players and golfers have refused to participate in Saudi tournaments on moral grounds. Horse racing tends to be less picky about where it can win money, though there is concern in the US about Saudi sponsorships in the industry there.