Alakleel, the winner of February’s domestic edition of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup (G1) (King’s Cup) at Janadriah outside Riyadh, continued his dominance of the local racing scene in Saudi winning the Prince Mohammed bin Saud Al Kabeer Cup (G2) on Friday by about seven lengths. Owned by King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz & Sons, he pushed his record to six wins from as many starts, and has yet to face a legitimate challenge. By Dynever out of the Grand Lodge mare, Lady Bear, Alakleel is trained by Bader Al Subaie and was ridden again by Camilo Ospina.
The international edition of the King’s Cup is a likely expected start in mid-February, and potentially, the races at the Dubai World Cup meeting. What makes Alakleel intriguing was his win in the 2011 King’s Cup was faster than the open international edition of the race, contested just a half-hour later. Alakleel won easily in that event over 2,400 metres in 2:31.57 while Burj AlKuwait took the international King’s Cup in a hard-scrabble 2:32.10.
Below, watch this potential up-and-comer from Saudi win on Friday.