In the quiet of an early Riyadh morning, Ricardo Ferreira paused to rest a hand on Wait To Excel’s neck — a soft moment between athlete and horse on the brink of renewal. The chestnut, ears pricked and alert, steps back into the spotlight this weekend with purpose, marking his first appearance since last season’s closing triumph. His return forms the emotional core of a busy two-day programme at King Abdulaziz Racecourse, where international strains meet hometown pride, and two rich juvenile races add future promise to the narrative.
Wait To Excel, eighth in last season’s Saudi Cup, resumes on Saturday in race five over 2000m, where Ferreira once again takes the reins for the Red Stable of Prince Faisal Bin Khaled Bin Abdulaziz. Their main opposition appears in Power In Numbers (USA), partnered by Camilo Ospina, who shares identical ratings and returns to action for the White Stable after finishing down the field in January’s Custodian contest. Power In Numbers notched a fluent victory on this same weekend last year, and a repeat bid now forms one of the meeting’s strong talking points.
Wait To Excel Set for Key Seasonal Return
Late last campaign, Wait To Excel grew sharper with every stride, finishing second behind Rattle N Roll (USA) in The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup before sealing his season with a domestic Group 1 win in the King Abdulaziz Racetrack Champion. With maturity now on his side, Saturday may offer clues as to whether he can surge again toward elite heights.
Saturday also stages a SAR120,000 juvenile contest, small in number but rich in intrigue. Six newcomers line up, including White Stable partners Ned Al Ned (USA) for Ospina and Walad (USA), while Ferreira reunites with Yaltahem (GB) for the Red banner — a matchup that should reveal early two-year-old pecking order.
On Friday afternoon, attention shifts to two large-field sales races — both restricted to 2024 auction graduates and each worth SAR500,000. Race nine caters exclusively to fillies over 1600m, while race ten mirrors the format for colts and geldings, drawing full complements of 20 hopefuls apiece. With financial incentive and developmental importance aligned, the outcomes here may shape next year’s domestic rankings.
The headline event of Friday’s card arrives with the SAR150,000 European Union Cup, attracting a strong field of 16 led by Power Of Beauty (IRE), previously eighth in the Riyadh Dirt Sprint and fourth on seasonal return earlier this month. Nicolas Bachalard saddles the six-year-old, who meets an intriguing rival in Defunded (USA), twice a Saudi Cup participant whose reputation alone draws keen trackside attention. Red Stable representatives Almaan (USA) and Alaham (IRE) add further depth — the latter seeking a third straight success in a notable rise through the ratings.
Then come the fillies and mares for the SAR150,000 Najran Reg. Governorate Cup over 1600m, where White Stable star Aeadat (KSA) aims for an astonishing 11th consecutive win. Her September victory in the King Khaled Racecourse Championship sealed a perfect Taif campaign, but she now faces Misaaeel (KSA) — the Sheikh Abdullah Homoud Almalek Alsabah-owned mare whose stock has soared with victories in the Asia Cup and Riyadh Region Governorate Cup. Their clash may well define the division heading into the winter stretch.
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