Ryan Moore to team up with Epsom Derby third in £1.8million Saudi handicap

Ryan Moore is to team up with last year’s Epsom Derby third in a £1.8 million handicap in Saudi Arabia. The superstar jockey has a 100 per cent record with four wins from four rides in Britain this year and next week he will take on his first big race assignment of 2026 when he will be in action at the Saudi World Cup meeting in Riyadh on February 14.

Moore is set to partner recent Winter Derby Trial winner Survie in the £2.2m Neom Turf Cup and Tennessee Stud, one of three trained by Joseph O’Brien, in the Group 2 Red Sea Turf Handicap.

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Tennessee Stud, owned by the Coolmore partners, finished third in the Epsom Classic behind Lambourn, fourth in the Irish Derby and end the year by winning a Group 2 race in France on Arc weekend.

O’Brien will also saddle the JP McManus-owned Goodie Two Shoes, the Melbourne Cup runner-up, and Sons And Lovers in the same race, while Galen is his representative in the Turf Cup.

Ireland’s champion jockey Dylan Browne McMonagle will fly in from Hong Kong to partner Goodie Two Shoes and Galen, the day after taking part in the International Jockeys’ Challenge.

“These are races we targeted before, it is top-class international racing and they are competitive races with great prize money,” O’Brien said.

O’Brien and Browne McMonagle have enjoyed notable success together in their native country and also further afield.

So far O’Brien has saddled Group 1 winners in six countries, while Browne McMonagle has already tasted elite level success in four different leading racing nations, memorably teaming up with heavyweight trainer Willie Mullins at last year’s Breeders’ Cup with Ethical Diamond.

At past Saudi Cup meetings, O’Brien saddled Al Riffa to minor honours behind Shin Emperor in last year’s Neom Turf Cup, and in 2022 trained Baron Samedi to be fourth in the Red Sea Turf Handicap.

He added: “We are looking forward to competing there. Dylan will fly in to ride in the International Jockeys’ Challenge on Friday and then he will ride Galen in the Neom Turf Cup and Goodie Two Shoes in the Red Sea Handicap on Saturday evening,” O’Brien confirmed.

“James Doyle will ride Sons And Lovers and Ryan Moore will ride Tennessee Stud. All four horses have had a good preparation for this trip and these races and we’re looking forward to seeing them run.”