Giustino Settles for Sixth in the Saudi Derby as Golden Vekoma Shines

The Argentine colt finished 20 3/4 lengths behind the son of Vekoma, who caught Japanese runner Shin Forever in the final strides

Golden Vekoma Secures Third Consecutive Victory / JCSA / MATHEA KELLEY

By Diego H. Mitagstein (Special correspondent for Turf Diario in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia)

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (From a special correspondent) – The dream ended quickly for the Argentine horse Giustino in the Saudi Derby (G3, 1600m, dirt, US$1.5 million in prizes). Quick out of the gate to position himself well, he began to stretch from the turn and was left very far behind as they entered the stretch, with no chances of recovery.

At the wire, the Full Mast offspring was 20 3/4 lengths behind Golden Vekoma, the colt who had already bested him in the UAE 2000 Guineas (G3) at Meydan, and who now solidified his position as the top 3-year-old in this part of the world.

Giustino, trained in the United Arab Emirates by Antonio Cintra and Julio Olascoaga, had given some hope after a promising start, having worked out his debut issues and arriving at that race a bit underprepared due to a sale that ultimately didn’t go through.

However, he wasn’t a factor for long. When asked by Turf Diario, Mickael Barzalona, his jockey, said: "Honestly, he faded too quickly. I tried to keep him away from the clods, which we managed to do, but from the turn onwards, it became a struggle. I have doubts about the distance, maybe we should consider something shorter."

On the other hand, it was all celebration around Golden Vekoma, who had only lost in his debut and has shown consistent improvement with each race. He was always close to the bold pacesetter Shin Forever (Complexity), gradually closing the gap in the long stretch of the King Abdulaziz and caught him in the final 100 meters, winning by 1 3/4 lengths. The local Mhally (Sergei Prokofiev), in a great effort, finished third.

Golden Vekoma, born in the United States, is part of the first crop of Vekoma, the Candy Ride stallion from Spendthrift that is dazzling and breaking records with his winners, like Sticks Wondergirl (Stevie Wonderboy). Ahmad Harmash trains him for Mohammed Ahmad Ali Al Subousi, and Connor Beasley, who is having a fantastic season, was in the saddle.

After the race, Beasley told Turf Diario: "He definitely did very well. Obviously, we went in good splits, good times, it seemed to me. He’s a horse that probably adapted well to the track. The wide turns and long stretches really suit him. I always wanted to keep my eye on the leader and not let him get too far ahead, and when we entered the straight, he kept grinding, maintained the effort, and crossed the wire strongly."

When asked about the possibility of running in the UAE Derby, Beasley added: "Yes, I think it won’t be a problem, to be honest. As we saw today, what he does is extend his stride rather than accelerate suddenly. And I think we’ll see an even better version of him when we stretch him out because he’ll be able to run more relaxed. I’m thrilled to have achieved this goal, and hopefully, we can aim for bigger things now."