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Randy Hill on the left of Vekoma after his 2019 Blue Grass victory, Mike Gatsas on the right, trainer George Weaver on the far right
Randy Hill s perseverance over two decades of owning thoroughbreds was rewarded this week when his multiple Grade 1-winner Channel Maker was crowned 2020 Champion Turf Male at Thursday s Eclipse Awards.
Owned by Hill s R.A. Hill Stable in partnership with Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, Gary Barber and Wachtel Stable, Channel Maker posted two gate-to-wire Grade 1 victories on the NYRA circuit in 2020 with triumphs in the Sword Dancer Invitational at Saratoga and the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic at Belmont Park, the latter of which he also won in 2018.
Gosden To Saddle French Classic Winner Mishriff In Saudi Cup, Hopes For Wide Draw Sponsored by:
Mishriff winning the Prix du Jockey Club (Group 1) in 2020
Trainer John Gosden has his sights set on the $20 million Saudi Cup with last year s Group 1 Prix du Jockey Club hero Mishriff. The 4-year-old was runner-up in The Saudi Derby – run on the same dirt track as the world s most valuable race – at the inaugural meeting last year, before returning to Europe to complete a summer hat-trick of big-race wins.
Gosden, based in Newmarket, said at a Saudi Cup press conference: “Mishriff has always been a grand horse and he worked nicely going into The Saudi Derby last year. It was his first time on the dirt, so you never know but he did have the benefit of a wide draw.
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November 7, 2020 : Order of Australia, ridden by Pierre-Charles Boudot, wins the FanDuel Mile presented by PDJF on Breeders’ Cup Championship Saturday at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky on November 7, 2020. Alex Evers/Breeders’ Cup/Eclipse Sportswire/CSM
One of Europe s elite riders, Pierre-Charles Boudot, is the sixth participant to be confirmed for The Saudi Cup s International Jockeys Challenge (IJC) on Friday, Feb. 19 at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh.
The Frenchman, who rode 12 Group 1 winners in 2020, including on Champions Day at Royal Ascot and the Breeders Cup at Keeneland, is the second of seven male jockeys to be announced, while Nanako Fujita of Japan will fill the fifth of seven spots for female riders.
Swiss Skydiver, Charlatan Among Saudi Cup Entries bloodhorse.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from bloodhorse.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Swiss Skydiver, Charlatan, Knicks Go Lead U.S. Entries To Saudi Cup Card Sponsored by:
Swiss Skydiver works at Churchill Downs on Oct. 31
The second staging of The Saudi Cup meeting, headlined by the $20 million Saudi Cup, has attracted a star-studded list of entries from the US, including Swiss Skydiver, Knicks Go, Charlatan, and Channel Maker.
After a successful inaugural event last year, the two-day meeting, held at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh on Feb. 19 and 20, has been expanded significantly in 2021 with increased prize money and a new race, resulting in an even stronger list of entries than 12 months ago.