Mhally punched his ticket to the Saudi Cup with an inspired Ricardo Ferreira at King Abdulaziz
- Turf Diario
- Jan 18
- 2 min read
With the Portuguese jockey aboard, the son of Sergei Prokofiev defeated the mare Ameerat Alzamaan in The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup (G3) in Riyadh
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (Special for Turf Diario).— The English-bred Mhally, winner of last year’s 2000 Guineashere, made a quality leap 12 months later to secure his spot in the 2026 Saudi Cup (G1) after an authoritative victory in The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup (G3). Under the guidance of the red-hot Portuguese jockey Ricardo Ferreira, the Thamer Aldaihani trainee proved his class at King Abdulaziz.
The success in the feature race (offering a SAR 1,500,000 purse) was the highlight of a four-win performance for Ferreira. The jockey, in partnership with trainer Aldaihani and owner Sheikh Abdullah Homoud Almalek Alsabah, completed a stakes double by also capturing this season’s 2000 Guineas with Al Haram (Iffraaj).
Mhally, who was coming off a third-place finish in the 2025 Derby, now takes aim at the $20 million main event on February 14, after confirming his stamina over the 1,800 meters of this qualifier. In the homestretch, the bay horse successfully withstood the challenge from Joel Rosario—winner of the last edition of the Saudi Cup—who had to settle for second aboard the mare Ameerat Alzamaan (Ghaiyyath), losing by just 3/4 of a length. Another 2 3/4 lengths back, the U.S.-bred Waqtuk (Not This Time) finished third.
The team could have another superstar on their hands following the devastating performance by Al Haram in the 2000 Guineas (SAR 465,000). Despite a slow start that left him at the back of the field, the colt found an extra gear under pressure from Ferreira and swept past his rivals to win by a massive 7 1/2 lengths. With this victory, he qualifies for the Saudi Derby (G3 - $1,500,000).
The stakes-filled card left other names ready for Saudi Cup night:
The Arabian Maestro Du Croate (Al Mamun Monlau), with Colombian Camilo Ospina in the irons, claimed the Al-Dareyah Cup (G3) after a thrilling duel against Nijinski Al Maury (Nemosie Al Maury). With this success, the Bassim Almousa trainee qualified for the $2 million Obaiya Arabian Classic (G1).
Min Shan (Spring at Last), also ridden by Ospina, led a 1-2 finish for White Stable in the qualifier for the Riyadh Dirt Sprint (G2), defeating Jeddah Beach (Omaha Beach)—ridden by Mickael Barzalona—by 3 1/4 lengths.
Thayaf (Macho Macho) remained undefeated in four starts by winning the King Abdulaziz Cup (G1) (domestic), adding another point to Ferreira’s tally.
Comments