God’s Speed wins the Gr1 King Abdulaziz Championship Cup
Globe-trotting trainer Neil Bruss continues to make an impression in Saudi Arabia, notching a good win in the 2000m Gr1 King Abdulaziz Racetrack Championship Cup with God’s Speed on Saturday, 4 March 2017.
Neil left for a 12-month stint in Saudi Arabia in September 2016 and has made steady progress in the past six months, notching a good tally of 15 winners to date.
God’s Speed is an Irish-bred son of none other than Avontuur-based sire Oratorio and was part of the string Bruss took over on arrival. Clearly thrilled with his charge’s achievement on Saturday Neil said, “He’s really a miler and this was over 2000m, which is too far for this horse. When they kicked for home he was 4 or 5 lengths clear, but in the last few hundred metres they were coming at him from all sides, but he hung on for the win. He ran a really good race.”
God’s Speed is owned by Abdulelah Abdul Aziz Almousa and was ridden to victory by L Morales.
The Irish-bred gelding has now won 12 races in Saudi Arabia. Neil says, “He’d won 3 races in a row before I got here. Then they took him to Dubai where he ran unplaced in last year’s Maktoum Challenge. Since I’ve been here, he’s won 2 in a row. He was beaten in a Gr3 Cup race and then we ran him in the Gr1 King’s Cup, which is the local equivalent of our July on 11 February. The King’s Cup is run over a mile and a half and he put up a good effort to finish 3rd. And now he’s won this, so he’s won 3 for me and run 2 places.”
“He’s not a big horse,” continues Neil, “but he’s game and gutsy. He’s just turned 5, so now we’ll put him away and then look at taking him to Dubai next year.”
Oratorio has a single lot on the forthcoming BSA Cape Yearling Sale at Mistico Equestrian Centre on Thursday, 16 March 2017. John Everett’s Narrow Creek Stud offers Lot 122, a filly out of the three-time winning daughter of Fort Wood, Fort Fox, which is the family of Gr3 Tony Ruffel Stakes winner, Fantastic Mr Fox.
The CTS March Yearling Sale, being hosted at Durbanville Racecourse on 18 and 19 March, offers 2 colts and 5 fillies on their catalogue, including Lot 230, a filly from Nutfield Stud out of a sister to Elusive Fort.
