Saudi royal decree backs racing as virus looms

The royal decree permits the likes of star jockeys Ryan Moore, who recently competed in Hong Kong where there are more than 80 confirmed cases of the disease, and Mikhael Barzalona, who rode in Dubai this week, to travel to Saudi Arabia.

The inaugural Saudi Cup is the richest horse race in the world, with a prize of $20 million (R300 million), and has attracted some of the world’s elite horses, jockeys and trainers.

Superstar rider Frankie Dettori, Japan’s champion Yutaka Take, American legend Mike Smith, a number of the world’s leading female jockeys and a plane-load of horses from the US – among many other marquee attractions – are carded for the two-day race meeting on Friday and Saturday, 28 and 29 January.

Racing Post reports that Saudi Arabia took the unprecedented step of temporarily banning foreign pilgrims heading for Mecca from entering the country after more than 330 cases were confirmed around the Middle East, most of them in Iran, and denied entry to non-religious travellers from countries where the virus has spread.

South African trainer Mike de Kock, who saddles the Uruguayan-bred filly Bella Fever in the $800,000 Samba Saudi Derby on Saturday, arrived safely in Riyadh from Dubai with his runner and support team earlier in the week.

Bella Fever was unbeaten in four starts in her native Uruguay before making history at Meydan recently when she became the first Uruguayan-bred to win in Dubai with victory in the $100,000 Meydan Classic Trial.

De Kock’s three-year-old will carry top weight of 57.5kg over 1800m on the dirt track at King Abdulaziz Racetrack.

By Friday morning, there had been no reported cases of coronavirus in Saudi Arabia, but health authorities cracked down on movements of people following outbreaks in various other parts of the Middle East region.

Prince Bandar bin Khalid Al Faisal, chairman of the Jockey Club, secured the royal decree that allows in the racing connections.

South Africa’s Tellytrack (channel 239 on DStv) will broadcast the Saturday’s Riyadh card in full and TAB offers a full bouquet of betting options.

The first race goes off at 3pm SA time, while the final event, the Saudi Cup itself, starts at 7.40pm. The first three races are on turf and the final five on dirt.

The outbreak of the virus has had a damaging effect on racing globally and the Japan Racing Association has banned racegoers from attending meetings from Saturday in a bid to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Racing in Hong Kong has been conducted before largely empty grandstands for the past two weeks.

A 16th case of the virus was confirmed in Britain on Thursday, but Cheltenham officials confidently predict the outbreak would not affect this year’s festival, which takes place in the second week of March.

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