Ameerat Alzamaan: The Riyadh-Based Mare Aiming to Make History

A daughter of Ghaiyyath, she boasts six wins from eight starts and takes on the colts in the Saudi Cup (G1); Ryan Moore to ride

Ameerat Alzamaan during one of her victories at King Abdulaziz / JCSA

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (Special for Turf Diario).— In a Saudi Cup (G1) edition dominated by world-class international stars, local trainer Sami Alharabi is betting big on home-field advantage. His ace is the remarkable Ameerat Alzamaan, representing the Red Stable of Prince Faisal bin Khaled bin Abdulaziz, who will attempt to pull off an upset in the world’s richest race this Saturday at King Abdulaziz Racecourse.

A 4-year-old daughter of champion Ghaiyyath, the mare has become one of the great stories of Saudi turf in recent seasons. She has won six of her eight starts, including the prestigious 1000 Guineas and the Fillies’ Mile on the Saudi Cup undercard last year, establishing herself as a top-tier local figure.

“I am very satisfied with her current condition and I believe she is in better shape than before. She shows constant evolution in every training session,” noted Alharabi. “My confidence stems from what I see every day. It is very exciting to have a representative in the Saudi Cup, and I am confident she will deliver a positive performance.”

The mare was a supplemental entry for the race after failing to secure an automatic berth following a loss to Mhally (Sergei Prokofiev) in the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup (G3) last month. However, her performance left encouraging signs.

“Her performance there was very good. It was an important test to measure her against experienced, high-level horses,” her trainer explained.

The challenge now will be over 1,800 meters (approx. 9 furlongs), a distance Alharabi considers ideal for his trainee. “She is versatile, but I believe she performs best between 1,800 and 2,000 meters. It’s a distance that suits her better than the mile,” he argued. Regarding the competition, the trainer did not hesitate to point out the heavy favorite: “The Japanese runner Forever Young (Real Steel) is the strongest and most dangerous. It will be a very competitive race. But our mare knows the track, she likes the surface, and that could play in her favor.”

Ryan Moore has been confirmed to ride the mare, while the team awaits the post-position draw with hopes of securing a middle gate—around stalls 6 or 7—to allow her to develop her ideal running style.

In a setting where the global elite converges once again in Riyadh, Ameerat Alzamaan will look to rely on her local experience and the support of the home crowd to write a historic chapter against the giants of international turf.