Ferreira excited by Dubai opportunity

Dual Spanish Champion Jockey rides Kaspar in Longines Dubai Sheema Classic

A lot can happen in a month, especially in racing. For Portuguese-born jockey Ricardo Ferreira, the last four weeks have taken him on a tour of the Middle East, from riding in Riyadh, to making his debut at Meydan Racecourse.

The journey is courtesy of five-year-old Kaspar. A Group 2 winner in Germany, when he beat Dubai World Cup contender Grocer Jack, the chestnut has made a good start to life in Saudi Arabia, finishing second to Japanese star Authority in the G3 Neom Turf Cup last time out. Trained by Mohammed Alhirabi, the performance was good enough to earn him an invitation to the G1 Longines Dubai Sheema Classic.

“I was invited by Mr Yousef Alturaif to ride at his stable and Kaspar is one of the top horses there,” explains the 28-year-old. “The Saudi Cup was an amazing experience; the horses, the environment, the conditions – everything was really wonderful.”

Ferreira has lived in Spain for eight years and been crowned Champion Jockey there twice, as well as runner-up once. His biggest success there so far came in the Listed Copa De Oro in 2016.

The trip to Dubai will be a first for Ferreira, but he has been doing his homework and feels that the fast 2410metres of the Sheema Classic will suit Kaspar “perfectly.”

Trained by Markus Klug during his time in Germany, the son of Pivotal was third in the Group 1 Deutsches Derby in 2020 and has a string of good results of the mile-and-a-half distance of the Sheema Classic, including a second in the G1 Preis Von Europa at Cologne.

“I’ve never been to Dubai but I’ve watched videos of the races there and I’m really excited to be able to live this experience,” says the well-travelled jockey, who has also ridden winners in Portugal, France, Poland and Morocco. Despite this success, he’s hungry for more.

“I hope to have another important experience in my career,” he adds. “I want to discover new racecourses, ride with excellent jockeys and continue to enrich myself professionally.

“My ambition is to be able to ride the best races in the four corners of the world.”

By competing for $6 million in the Dubai Sheema Classic, he’s going a long way towards achieving that goal.