Saudi Cup next for Facteur Cheval after passing dirt test

Jerome Reynier’s top-class performer Facteur Cheval has his sights set on the Saudi Cup after an encouraging dirt debut in the Al Maktoum Challenge at Meydan last week.

The six-year-old has proven himself to be a real star for the stable, never once failing to come home in the money in 18 runs so far across France, England and the Middle East.

During the 2023 season, he hit the crossbar in a string of Group races, including finishing second in the Sussex Stakes and the QEII, at Goodwood and Ascot respectively.

His breakthrough at the top grade came in the Dubai Turf last March, when he prevailed by a short head to net nearly £2.3million in prize-money for owners Team Valor International and Gary Barber.

The son of Ribchester then ran exclusively on British soil throughout the rest of his 2024 turf campaign, posting a rare below-par performance in the Queen Anne at Royal Ascot but bouncing back with fine runs at Glorious Goodwood and on Champions Day.

After his Meydan success, a return to Dubai had always been on the agenda, with connections keen to try the gelding on dirt to test the water ahead of some valuable contests on that surface.

That trial came in the Al Maktoum Challenge and Facteur Cheval certainly showed enough to give his team the green light to proceed, finishing third of 12 runners when seeming to take well to the surface, finding himself behind early but showing the kickback to be no problem and finishing well.

Now the Saudi Cup in Riyadh beckons next month, where the globetrotting star will take aim at the most valuable race run anywhere in the world.

“That was a good test last Friday on the dirt and in very different conditions than usual,” said Reynier.

“We didn’t really want to ask him too much jumping out of the gate, so we were waiting with him during the race.

“He took a lot of kickback but that was good to see if he was able to cope with it, which not every horse can.

“I really liked what we saw in the final turn, he had plenty of energy and finished his race running on – it was a good effort and we were happy with him.

“He passed the test and now we’re going to aim for the Saudi Cup with him.

“That will be a different scenario, only one bend, and it’s approximately the same trip as the (Dubai) Turf (a mile and a furlong) but on dirt.

“There will also be some specialists, like some Japanese or American horses, and the level will be much higher, with Romantic Warrior as well.

“We know he’s a very good horse, and now we know he can handle the dirt, so we want to give it a go and see if he’s able to be competitive at the highest level in the richest race in the world – it’s going to be an interesting gamble.”

A return to Meydan is then on the cards for Facteur Cheval, with Reynier feeling a title defence in the Dubai Turf is a more likely target than another outing on dirt.

He added: “After that, he will be back in Dubai preparing to defend his crown in the Dubai Turf, unless he is flying on the dirt and connections would like to run him in the Dubai World Cup.

“Personally, I doubt we will, but you never know.”