is on course for an appearance on Dubai World Cup night having pleased Joseph O’Brien in his first outing of the year in Saudi Arabia.
One of the standout performers of the Owning Hill handler’s Flat string, the dual Group One scorer made his first start since running in October’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe when a respectable third behind Japan’s Shin Emperor in the Neom Turf Cup.
He is reported to have returned home from that Riyadh assignment in good order and is now being readied for a return to both a mile and a half and the Middle East, with O’Brien eyeing a tilt at the Dubai Sheema Classic with the son of Wootton Bassett on April 5.
“He seems fine and has arrived back in Ireland in good shape,” said O’Brien. “He will probably go to Meydan for the Sheema Classic now.
“The 10 furlongs in Saudi Arabia was a lovely starting point for him but you would imagine stepping up to 12 furlongs on a bigger track at Meydan, both of those things would be a real positive for him.”
Al Riffa can be backed at 25-1 with Paddy Power and Betfair for the Dubai Sheema Classic, which was won last year by Charlie Appleby’s Rebel’s Romance.