MY inaugural visit to Saudi Arabia this week took in the first official trialling of the new turf track at King Abdulaziz racecourse on the outskirts of Riyadh, capital of the kingdom. The trial went smoothly, all four riders who travelled to take part being praiseworthy of the surface.

While the upcoming $20 million Saudi Cup is being run on the well-established dirt track, the best of its kind anywhere in the world according to Frankie Dettori and modelled on Belmont Park, three valuable races on the undercard will take place on the lush grass. It is expected that there will be Irish challengers.

In this week’s paper you can read the first of my reports on the visit. Saudi Arabia is undergoing change, much of it to be encouraged. While the news of the world’s richest race garnered headlines, there are many other initiatives being undertaken for the weekend of the Saudi Cup, some of which have gone under the radar.

One could have expected that the news of an innovative jockeys’ challenge on the eve of the Saudi Cup might have made more of a splash, given that it will involve a team of seven female riders taking on seven male counterparts. It has hardly caused a ripple.

When questioned at the launch of the Saudi Cup in London last year, the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia’s chairman Prince Bandar was asked whether female riders would be welcomed in the Kingdom for the event. He acknowledged the relevance of the question and was unequivocal in his answer.

Yes, female jockeys would be welcomed and encouraged. Now it transpires that he and the race organisers have gone a step further and made certain that there will be participation. While it might be argued that the gesture is small, it has to be seen in an historical context and welcomed.

Irish contribution

Another striking aspect of my visit to Riyadh this week was to unearth the depth of the Irish contribution to the upcoming big race. The former Naas Racecourse manager Tom Ryan is pivotal to the whole project, while next week I will be talking some more about the involvement of Emer Fallon and Dermot Cumiskey to the smooth running.

Another name familiar to Irish racegoers will be Angus Houston. He was responsible for the build, opening and managing of Limerick Racecourse in 2001, and he better than most will understand what Tom Ryan has achieved with the new track and race in Riyadh.

Racing is developing apace in the Middle East, and more turf racing will help to create another market for our horses.