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- British racing鈥檚 interest in the Saudi Cup has flourished since the inaugural event in 2020
LONDON: One of the horses flying the flag for British racing at this weekend鈥檚 Saudi Cup meeting has 鈥渄efinitely got a chance鈥� of claiming a famous victory among a strong field, his trainer William Knight and syndicate chief Sam Hoskins said on Friday.
Sir Busker runs in the Group Three NEOM Turf Cup on Saturday and will face stiff competition from early favorite Missed The Cut, trained by George Boughey, and the John and Thady Gosden-trained Mostahdaf, while the strongest Arab interest will be in White Moonlight, trained by Godolphin鈥檚 Saeed bin Suroor.
鈥淢ostahdaf has got very good form in the book,鈥� Knight said. 鈥淢issed The Cut looks unexposed, it could do anything, and I know the Boughey team think a lot of him.鈥�
He added: 鈥淭hey are probably the two favorites. They鈥檒l be priced up as such, and they鈥檝e got every right to be so. It鈥檚 competitive as any of these big races are, but I definitely think [Sir Busker] has got a chance of being in the first three.
鈥淚f he can run to the same form as he did when he won the Group Two at York, as well as his Juddmonte form, he鈥檚 got to be there in the shake-up,鈥� he told Arab News.
British racing鈥檚 interest in the Saudi Cup has flourished since the inaugural event in 2020, according to Knight, who said the meeting is perfectly timed for horses in between their season breaks.
The potential for competitive racing against highly rated horses without the threat of ruining the rhythm of the regular racing season is what makes the Saudi Cup an alluring prospect, according to Knight.
He said: 鈥淚t fits well in our calendar, especially if a horse has had a break after the season last year.
鈥淵ou can get them ready for this [meeting] without necessarily having to rush them there, and it sets them up for the season ahead, so they鈥檙e not missing a European campaign.
鈥淚t falls in line well with Dubai World Cup night, obviously it coincides with Super Saturday, but it is a nice lead into the Dubai World Cup and when the prize money is so good and you鈥檙e running on a track that is very well maintained, it makes total sense.鈥�
Knight commented on the world-class facilities on offer for 7-year-old Sir Busker at Newmarket in the UK before his shipping out to Riyadh, but also praised the setup for the horses, training teams, support staff and owners in 抖阴短视频.
He said: 鈥淲ith the Saudi Cup team over here, it鈥檚 all been very smooth; the stabling for Sir Busker over here is good.
鈥淭hey are looking after my staff well, they鈥檙e in nice accommodation, they have great vets out here, so all those things make a difference.鈥�
Hoskins, who runs the Kennet Valley Thoroughbreds syndicate group which owns Sir Busker, was also delighted with the Saudi Cup setup for the horse and believes his three-race stint in Dubai in February and March last year has helped his acclimatization in the Kingdom.
He said: 鈥淗e鈥檚 been very well since arriving in 抖阴短视频. He seemed to settle in like a duck to water, and obviously had the benefit of going out to Dubai last year, so that has stood him in good stead.
鈥淲e鈥檙e really looking forward [to Saturday]. It鈥檚 really exciting for KVT as we鈥檝e got eight people coming out to watch, which is fantastic.
鈥淚t鈥檚 intriguing and it鈥檚 great to bring them out to a country like 抖阴短视频, which they perhaps might not have been visiting. It鈥檚 amazing where racing takes you in the world.鈥�
Giving their horse a shot at glory has been the priority for KVT, so while there is huge prize money on offer in the Saudi Cup feature race, the syndicate believes that Sir Busker has the best chance in the NEOM Turf Cup.
Hoskins said: 鈥淲e did have the option of going for the Saudi Cup, which is obviously worth telephone numbers [of money], but we love Sir Busker and want to do what鈥檚 best for him.
鈥淲e could win the NEOM, whereas we couldn鈥檛 realistically win the Saudi Cup.鈥�