Tuwaiq Cup Winner Stars on Saturday

Image: Scotland Yard wins the 2025 Tuwaiq Cup at King Abdulaziz Racecourse. Credit: Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia / Neville Hopwood

Scotland Yard returns in the JCSA Cup

Listed Tuwaiq Cup winner Scotland Yard (USA) is set for his first start of the campaign and heads a field of six runners for the domestic Group 3 SAR165,000 JSCA Cup at King Abdulaziz Racecourse on Saturday.

Champio n jockey Adel Alfouraidi will be aboard his regular partner as the Nicolas Bachalard-trained six-year-old returns, having won three of his four starts last campaign – culminating with his near six-length demolition job on Saudi Cup weekend.

He faces tough opposition in the 1800m feature with the Red Stable of Prince Faisal Bin Khaled Bin Abdulaziz fielding recent second and Saudi Cup eighth Wait To Excel (GB), while the White Stable of King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz rely on Electability (USA) and trainer Thamer Aldaihani sends out Man Of The Night (FR) under Ricardo Ferreira.

The main supporting event on Saturday is the SAR150,000 Saeed Al Majed Cup over 2000m where Lucas Gaitan’s 2024 Saudi Derby winner Alwaqqad (USA) has his third start of the season under Alexis Moreno.

Having finished down the field behind Scotland Yard in the Tuwaiq last February, the four-year-old showed more on his latest start when third to Thundersquall and Wait To Excel (GB) in an open race last month.

Fifteen runners have been declared for the SAR130,000 Rashed Bin A. Al-Zenaidy Award for three-year-olds over 1200m, where the action should centre around last season’s Sarawat Cup winner Karimi (KSA) and Kawafill (KSA), who seeks a hat-trick after wins in both Taif and Riyadh.

The SAR150,000 Ministry of Education Cup for juveniles headlines Friday’s action and features 19 runners over 1400m including the Red Stable pair of Ela Alamam (KSA) and Nayaad (KSA) – with Ferreira on board the former who has guided him to both wins on of his two starts to date.

The White Stable are also represented with the twice-raced and twice second-placed Ma'aha Allah (KSA) and debut Taif winner Nasrak Allah (KSA).

Friday’s card also contains three competitive Turf races which get underway with the opening 1200m open in which the Red Stable runner Zefzaf (USA) goes up against French import Cacofonix (IRE).

Zefzaf was a rising star last season when with Jimmy Jerkins, winning three times and taking second in the Turf Sprint Qualifier, and the now Sami Alharabi inmate tackles the French Listed winner Cacofonix, who has joined the White Stable having been owned by the Wertheimer brothers in Europe.

The well-bred three-year-old is the winner of three of his nine starts, was last seen finishing sixth in a Group 3 in August and was sold for €460,000 in October.

Maylan (GB) beat Zefzaf in the Turf Sprint Qualifier before finishing ninth in the main event and he heads a full field of 10 in the 1351m open, before they jump up to 2100m in race five which features the White Stable’s smart Bolide Porto (IRE) – third on his recent comeback and not disgraced in the newly-upgraded Group 1 Howden Neom Turf Cup last February.

**ENDS**