Long distance hero Call The Wind
heading back to Saudi 
Freddy Head's star looking to land valuable double in 3000m handicap

Call The Wind was an impressive winner of the inaugural Long Distance Turf Handicap in 2020
Credit: Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia // Neville Hopwood

Call The Wind is on course to defend his crown in the $2.5million Long Distance Turf Handicap The Saudi Cup meeting later this month.

The French raider, ridden by experienced jockey Olivier Peslier, was a cosy two-and-a-half length winner of the 3000m contest 12 months ago when beating Mekong and Prince Of Arran. Subsequent Melbourne Cup hero Twilight Payment was back in seventh.

It proved to be the start of a profitable year for the seven-year-old son of Frankel as he went on to win two Group races over 3000m at Deauville later in the season.

Call The Wind's trainer Freddy Head is looking forward to a return to the King Abdulaziz Racetrack in Riyadh for the two-day Saudi Cup meeting.

He said: "The horse is in very good form. He's wintered well and everything is fine with him at the moment.

"He won nicely last year and I was very pleased with him. He's got a bit more weight this time and I've not seen which other horses he is likely to be up against but I think we have a good chance of winning.

"He liked the track so everything is in order. The reception we got in Saudi Arabia was very good and we had everything we could have wanted. I'm really looking forward to him running there again."

The Long Distance Handicap will be run on Saturday February 20, taking place on the same day as the $20million Saudi Cup, the world's most valuable race.

The meeting will kick off on Friday February 19 with an eight-race card featuring the International Jockeys' Challenge where some of the world's best male and female riders will go head-to-head.