ENGLISH TEXTS he brought over from the UK whose owners had decided would stay in Riyadh following the race . I also had the chance to meet and chat with Danny Shum , who travelled from Hong Kong to inspect the track and facilities before finalising his decision on his stable star , Romanic Warrior , ahead of the Saudi Cup . During my five-week stint in Riyadh , there were many superstar performances ; one of those was from Scotland Yard , trained by Frenchman Nicholas Bachalard . Scotland Yard finished 8 th in last year ’ s Saudi Cup and then bolted up in his first two runs this season at Riyadh . Sadly , he was disappointing in the Saudi Cup qualifier at the end of January , but nevertheless , I was delighted to be there for one of his best performances of the season . Another performance I enjoyed was from Al Musmak , a 4-year-old colt previously trained by Roger Varian who made his debut for trainer Thalmer Aldaihani under Mohammad Aldaham , winning on debut . I quickly learnt that imported horses needed one or two runs to acclimatise before you could really judge their ability ; however , I quickly realised if anyone can get a horse ready on debut , it ’ s Thamer , and the colt continued his form in Saudi Arabia with an opening mark of 111 . But it wasn ’ t just the thoroughbreds that delivered ; the Pure Bred Arabians did not disappoint either . I was fortunate enough to witness the clash of titans between Asfan Al Khalediah and Tilal Al Khalediah both by Laith Al Khalediah , a sire to watch out for when narrowing down your purebred Arabian selections going forward . All in all , my time in Riyadh exceeded my expectations . Not only did I learn a lot about racing in Saudi Arabia , but I also learnt about the culture . From the moment I arrived , I felt welcomed and accepted , greeted with many ‘ welcome to the Kingdom ’ messages , which was more than I possibly could have imagined . Saudi Arabia is a country on the rise , and its horse racing industry is evolving alongside it . I was especially pleased to see the growing emphasis on equine welfare , which is a topic worldwide and rightly so . Everyone I met at the racecourse was kind , positive , and passionate , which made it a very enjoyable place to be . Above all , this experience has taught me that you can ’ t always rely on hearsay and that sometimes you need to go out and experience the world and what it has to offer for yourself . I look forward to returning to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia .
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SALES
VICKI GIBBINS ’ CHRONICLE
OVERVIEW OF SALES ACROSS THE GLOBE
FASIG-TIPTON KEN- TUCKY WINTER MIXED Records were broken as a Curlin colt ( Hip 395 ) set a new high for a short yearling at the sale , purchased by Maverick for $ 775,000 . Out of the Grade 1 winning dam Unbridled Mo , the colt also hailed from the family of Black Type performer Big Booster and formed part of the Red Oak Stable dispersal sale . Unbridled Mo went through the ring six lots later , selling to a representative of Repole Stable for $ 350,000 . With last year ’ s Kentucky Winter Mixed Sale including a dispersal from Lothenback Breeding Stock , where 23 of the 62 offered reached $ 100,000 or more , 2023 ’ s sale provided a better comparison . The median was up $ 1,000 ($ 15,000 to $ 16,000 ) from 2023 and the average had increased by $ 9,125 .
GOFFS FEBRUARY SALE Goffs were rightly keen to point out the positive statistics which came out of the February sale , with an increased turnover of 25 % (€ 3,857,500 ) from the 2024 renewal , despite selling 25
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