Allam (AKA Premium Tap) VS two former Argentina HOY's

[brockguy]

from racing post

King’s Cup
Janadriyah 1m4f (dirt)
THE best race in the Gulf this week isn’t in Dubai, it won’t be on TV and there certainly won’t be any betting.

The race in question takes place on Friday, at the King Abdul Aziz racecourse at Jandriyah, near the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh, which hosts what amounts to a majortrial for the Dubai World Cup.

The King’s Cup - or the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup, to give the race its proper title – is Saudi Arabia’s foremost race. Formerly a 2m1f event, it is now a 1m4f race – and it features a clash between Breeders’Cup Classic third Premium Tap and Forty Licks, Argentina’s Horse of the Year. Both are being aimed at the World Cup next month.

Mick Kinane flies in from Dubai to partner Forty Licks for Englishman Ian Jory, who also saddles Chiquitin (Johnny Murtagh), fifth in the 2006 World Cup.


They will be running under different names, however, racing as Alhakan (Forty Licks) and Alnuman (Chiquitin), while the John Kimmel-trained Premium Tap is, for Friday’s race at least, now known as Allam. He will be ridden by US pilot Kent Desormeaux.

All these horses are now owned by various members of the Saudi royal family, including Forty Licks, whose victories include the last two legs of the Argentine Triple Crown in 2005-06.

“It’s going to be agreat race and we’ll get a better understanding of our chance in the Dubai World Cup after this,” said Jory. “The Prince and I are obviously keen to win the big race at home before aiming at the Dubai World Cup.”