RIYADH: Najjam and Making Miracles, both owned by Prince Saud bin Salman, won the Saudi Crown Prince’s Cup over two races, bringing in overall prize money of SR2 million ($533,000).
Najjam won in the the first category for local production, while Making Miracles claimed in the open event, with both races run over 2,400m on Friday.
The Crown Prince’s Cup is one of the oldest and most prestigious horse racing championships in the Kingdom. It was held for the first time in 1969 under the patronage of the late King Khalid bin Abdul Aziz, who was crown prince at the time.
Prince Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman bin Abdul Aziz, Prince of Riyadh, presented the Horse Racing Club’s prizes to Prince Saud bin Salman.
Making Miracles and Al-Zahzah, owned by the sons of Sharif Hazza bin Shaker Al-Abdali, were crowned champions in the 2020 race.
Marwan Al-Olayan, secretary-general of the Saudi Equestrian Authority, said that the importance of the Crown Prince’s Cup is shown by the high-quality field it attracts.
The Saudi government is hoping to bring equestrian sports closer to all segments of society by organizing events and attracting international names.
Traikhim Al-Subaie, an equestrian specialist, said that Najjam was a favorite for the event after a recent win in the Okaz Cup in Taif and distinguished results in recent races.
Making Miracles’ second cup victory in a row was “expected,” he added.
The horse’s trainer brought him to the track in perfect condition and his preference for distances from 2,400m to 3,000m was already known, Al-Subaie said.
Horse racing season set to get underway at UAE’s 5 tracksSaudi Arabia, UAE and Bahrain to discuss strategy for horse racing in region