Gran Descans Shines with Mickael Barzalona; Solid Effort for Francisco Leandro

The son of Frankel captured the Saudi International Handicap, where Brazilian jockey Francisco Leandro finished a close sixth aboard Hans Andersen after leading into the stretch.

Mickael Barzalona and Gran Descans stood out in the day’s featured event for Thoroughbreds / JCSA

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (Special for Turf Diario).– Mickael Barzalona completed a dream day at King Abdulaziz Racecourse by winning the Saudi International Handicap Presented by Lucid ($500,000 purse, 2,100m, turf), marking his third consecutive victory on Friday’s card. The French star shone in the irons of Gran Descans, a son of the phenomenal Frankel defending the silks of King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz & Sons, bred by Juddmonte Farms and conditioned by Saad Aljenade.

For Brazilian jockey Francisco Leandro and Argentine trainer William Segovia, the dream lasted well into the home straight with Hans Andersen (Frankel). The gelding tired in the final stages to finish sixth, but remained very close to the winner, yielding two positions virtually at the wire.

His trainer had previously warned that the 2,100-meter trip (approx. 10 1/2 furlongs) might be slightly beyond the bay's optimal range, and so it proved. After tracking the pace closely, he took command upon turning for home but found the distance a bit too testing in the final furlong.

Positioned expectantly behind the speed and kept out of trouble three-wide, Barzalona waited patiently to launch his bid. Entering the far turn, the jockey moved his mount on the outside, sweeping past leaders Hans Andersen and Salamanca Lad (Profitable) to take control with authority. Passing the 200-meter mark, the winner showcased his notable stamina to draw away convincingly toward the finish.

The final margin at the mirror was 3 1/4 lengths over Native American (Sioux Nation), representing Wathnan Racing, who edged out stablemate Supercooled (Lope de Vega) by a head for second in a vibrant finish. The official time for the contest was clocked at 2:09.75.

This victory came just moments after Barzalona had secured the final two legs of the International Jockeys’ Challenge, sealing a hat-trick of wins that established him as the afternoon's standout figure in Riyadh.

"Last time [when finishing third in the Prince Khalid Abdullah Cup], I gave him a chance to find his stride because he broke slowly, but today I knew he had the necessary stamina, so I tried to get him into the race as quickly as possible," explained jockey Mickael Barzalona following the success with Gran Descans.

"He traveled very well for me. We didn't go extremely fast, but it was a solid gallop. When I asked him to extend, he quickened gradually and stayed very strong through the wire," the winning rider added.

Meanwhile, Cristian Demuro, who finished third with Supercooled, was satisfied with his mount's performance: "He wasn't bad at all; he put in a good effort to finish third. He followed the leader and put together a positive race."