Saudi International Handicap ambitions will carry a distinctly Belgian accent this Friday, as Gaelle Gernay steps onto one of racing’s biggest international platforms with Iradie (FR) at King Abdulaziz Racecourse. Operating from a small yard in the west of Belgium, Gernay arrives with quiet confidence rather than fanfare, her five-year-old mare very much an under-the-radar contender in a race worth USD 500,000.
Iradie, the five-year-old mare by Sommerabend, has spent the bulk of her career racing in France, where she found her stride last summer with victories over 1800 metres and 2000 metres. That profile points neatly towards the 2100-metre trip of the Saudi International Handicap, a distance that should play to her strengths. Win or lose, she will mark a milestone as the first Belgian-trained runner to line up in the race.
The mare changed hands at the Arqana sales in mid-November, secured for €23,000 by bloodstock agents Jerry McGrath and Toby Jones before being transferred to Belgium. Her most recent appearance came at Mons on December 4, where she finished a creditable third in a run that served as both a fitness builder and a qualifying step.
A Small Stable, A Big Stage
Saudi International Handicap dreams were not built overnight for Gernay, who was frank about the scale of the challenge and the excitement that comes with it.
“We’re excited, especially as we’re just a small stable in Belgium, so it’s quite a big story for us to go with a horse to Saudi Arabia on the weekend of The Saudi Cup,” she said.
The plan began to take shape more than a year ago, sparked by a phone call from Iradie’s owner. “Last year her owner, Mr Jones, called me and said he’d like to buy a horse for the race and that’s how it started,” Gernay explained. “He was still looking in September and then he found her at the sale.”
Iradie’s lone Belgian start came over an inadequate 1500 metres, where she finished a close second. “She ran quite well over a distance that was way too short for her, beaten only a nose,” Gernay said. “That’s when we really started to think about this race.”
Gernay’s route to Riyadh is anything but conventional. A former rider who competed successfully in ladies’ races, she now balances training responsibilities with a second career, working with police horses in the Royal Cavalry. At home, the daily routine is a shared effort. “I only have five in training at the moment,” she said. “My boyfriend William takes care of the horses, and I train in the mornings. It’s a different setup, but it works for us.”
Belgian racing may be best known internationally through the achievements of Christophe Soumillon, with domestic racing itself limited to a small number of tracks. That makes Iradie’s presence on such a stage all the more meaningful.
“We’ve not had her that long, but she’s already changed a lot,” Gernay said. “She did her last serious work last week and we were very happy with her. Hopefully everything goes well from now on.”
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