Fresu Primed for Big Weekend Riding in UAE

Antonio Fresu is no stranger to riding in the United Arab Emirates, and he decided to take advantage of those roots for the month of December.

An Italian jockey who was one of the UAE's top riders before shifting his tack to Southern California in 2023, Fresu has returned to the desert for 20 days between Del Mar's fall meet and Santa Anita Park's winter meet, which begins Dec. 26.

"It was a little bit slow in California now with the Los Alamitos meet," Fresu said. "I took the chance because there were some interesting races at Meydan for three weekends. Try to keep my connections that I've built up over the years."

The reward for his return to the Middle East were weekends like Dec. 5-6. On Friday night at Meydan Racecourse, he won the featured race, the AED 500,000 Al Garhoud Sprint aboard El Nasseeb  in a field that included two-time American graded stakes winner Mufasa  and this year's Dubai Golden Shaheen (G1) winner Dark Saffron .

Then, Saturday, Fresu will venture to the Abu Dhabi Turf Club to ride on their biggest race day of the year. He has mounts in both the 33rd UAE President Cup for Arabian Purebreds and the HH The President Cup for Thoroughbreds.

In the Thoroughbred edition, Fresu will be aboard Kubrick , a former Chad Brown-trained runner who is making his second start in the UAE for trainer Musabbeh Al Mheiri.

"He seems like a nice horse," Fresu said. "I think (7 furlongs) is the right trip for him. He's drawn really well in (post) 2. He should have nice tactical speed to sit right behind the (the front-runners). Hopefully he's in good shape and is fit enough to win the race."

The competition will be tough with AED 1 million on the line. The race drew 2023 Al Quoz Sprint (G1T) winner Danyah  as well as the top two finishers of last year's race: Make Me King  and Marbaan .

READ: G1 Winner Danyah Heads Large President Cup in Abu Dhabi

Kubrick was no match for Marbaan in March's Ras Al Khor (G3) at Meydan, and Fresu views he and Make Me King as the top contenders.

"They are group 3 and group 2 horses running in this listed race," Fresu said. "I think they're the two horses to beat."

Fresu also rides in the Arabian Purebred AED 8 million President Cup—one of the feature races for the breed in the world—aboard Kanaille De Faust. Given his previous experience in the region, Fresu has ridden in many Arabian races.

"They're smaller and slower than Thoroughbreds, and my opinion is they are smarter, too," Fresu said of the differences in riding the breeds. "Anyway, it's a race, but they're different the way they race. It is very important to sit down with (Arabians), try to make things easier for them."

El Nasseeb, Kubrick, and Kanaille De Faust are all trained by Fresu's "old boss," Al Mheiri. Keeping those connections is important to Fresu, which is why he continues to enjoy returning to the UAE.

"My racing family, they've been really nice to me," Fresu said. "It's a beautiful place, especially when you're riding at places like Meydan. It's just amazing to be there. The atmosphere and the track, it's just so nice."

An added benefit is the added time he spends during the winter can help him secure mounts for the lucrative races on Dubai World Cup night, where El Nasseeb appears headed to the Golden Shaheen, and the other major events in the region.

"If you have connections and can pick up some nice mounts, it's always better than (riding for) less purse money for a couple of weeks," Fresu said. "It's always nice to show your face, and new people can get to know you. You're on the other side of the world (in the United States). If you never show up, they will never really know you."

Furthermore, Fresu said finding opportunities in the American racing schedule to venture to different areas of the world, like the UAE, would be beneficial to any jockey.

"Everybody should do what is best for their interest and business," Fresu said. "They always have a nice winter season over here. Everything can lead to World Cup night if you find nice mounts. To me, it's really important. I think anybody could do it."