The Riyadh Dirt Sprint 2025 proved a frustrating assignment for Hong Kong’s Self Improvement, whose chances were effectively extinguished within strides of the gates opening at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, on Saturday night (14 February).
Trainer Manfred Man did not hide his disappointment after the Group 2 contest over 1200 metres on dirt, pointing squarely to the break as the decisive moment. “He was slow from the start, and he got bumped from the other horse (Echo Point). Once you lose your position, the kickback is coming – and the kickback is heavy. So, the horse was not willing to run because of the kickback,” Man explained.
Drawn in barrier eight and ridden by Jerry Chau, the Deep Field gelding lost momentum immediately when Echo Point shifted outward as the stalls flew open. From there, Self Improvement was forced to the rear, where the spray of dirt proved relentless. Although Chau persevered, the gelding never truly travelled and was unable to mount a meaningful challenge in the Riyadh Dirt Sprint 2025.
Up front, the complexion of the race told a very different story.
Imagination Dominates the Riyadh Dirt Sprint 2025
North America’s Imagination produced a sweeping performance to claim the Riyadh Dirt Sprint 2025, surging from the tail of the field to overhaul his rivals in emphatic fashion. The son of Into Mischief, runner-up in the 2025 G1 Breeders’ Cup Sprint behind Bentornato, relished the conditions and powered home under Flavien Prat.
Trained by Bob Baffert, Imagination stopped the clock at 1m 12.00s, drawing clear to score decisively. Just Beat The Odds, partnered by Irad Ortiz Jnr., filled second, while Saudi Arabia’s Muqtahem — runner-up in the 2025 renewal — claimed third.
Self Improvement crossed the line in 11th, approximately 17 lengths adrift of the winner. It was a margin that reflected the troubled opening stages more than a lack of ability.
Chau echoed his trainer’s assessment. “It was just after the jump – he was cut off and then the kickback made it difficult for him to travel in the race. He tried and he kept on, but it was just a very bad start. He lost ground and then it was difficult for him to pick up again.”
The performance was out of character for a horse whose career highlight came in last September’s G3 Korea Sprint over 1200 metres on sand. He had arrived in Saudi Arabia carrying hopes of building on that international success.
Self Improvement was Hong Kong, China’s second representative in Saudi Arabia this season, following Romantic Warrior’s narrow defeat to Forever Young in the 2025 G1 Saudi Cup over 1800 metres on dirt.
Imagination’s victory marked North America’s third success in the race, adding to previous wins by Elite Power (2023) and Straight No Chaser (2025), underlining the region’s continued strength in top-level dirt sprinting on the global stage.
Earlier on the card, the Asian Racing Federation Local Handicap (1800m, dirt) opened proceedings and went to Tahzeem, ridden by Prat and trained by Fahad Saad for owner His Royal Highness Prince Faisal bin Khaled bin Abdulaziz. Trophies were presented by Mr Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, Chair of the Asian Racing Federation and Chief Executive Officer of The Hong Kong Jockey Club, alongside Mr Andrew Harding, Secretary General of the Asian Racing Federation and Executive Director of Racing at The Hong Kong Jockey Club.
For Man and his team, the Riyadh mission will be filed under what might have been. In races of this calibre, margins are unforgiving — and in the Riyadh Dirt Sprint 2025, the first few strides told the entire story.
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