Saudi Cup (G1) weekend got off to a flying start Feb. 13 as a Kentucky-bred Saudi star in the making won the Fillies Mile and Mickael Barzalona took the International Jockeys' Challenge by winning the final two races of the series.
Teduom, a Street Sense filly, came into the $250,000 Fillies Mile, the first race on the Feb. 13 program, already winner of the local One Thousand Guineas. The Fillies Mile effort virtually replicated an earlier victory in the Prince Abdullah Bin Jalawi Cup.
After the entire field chased Sioux Perfect through the early fractions, Tobah took the lead at the top of the stretch with Teduom and jockey Nawaf Almudiani in pursuit. That team wore down Tobah in the final 100 meters and prevailed by 1 3/4 lengths.
"Teduom is a very good filly. I know her well," Almudiani said. "I was very happy with her, and she had been training well."
Three of the first four finishers were bred in Kentucky. Ghinwa, who finished fifth, is a Florida-bred. Tobah is a British-bred filly by Earthlight.
Out of Youcan'tcatchme, by The Daddy, Teduom was bred by Woods Edge Farm. She was sold to Tom McCrocklin for $70,000 at the 2024 Keeneland September Yearling Sale and was turned around the following year for $17,000 to Salman Al Adhayani at the Ocala Breeders' Sales Spring Sale of 2-Year-olds in Training. The winner's share of the Fillies Mile purse was $125,000.
International Jockeys' Challenge
The Fillies Mile led directly into the Jockeys' Challenge, which went to the final leg in a three-way tie when Barzalona, blanked in the first two races, won the third. He promptly broke that deadlock with another victory in the final race, good for a total of 30 points.
Both the fourth race finish and the series total were tight with Norway's Frida Valle-Skar, a regular on the French circuit, reporting second in the finale to bring her total to 27.
"It's always great to be invited to these kinds of events," Barzalona said. "We know it's a draw, so you need luck, as well. It's always great to ride here.
"The way we ride on the dirt is completely different, and the way you actually ride here is different, which makes the races very attractive, as well."
