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Frankie Dettori to ride race in honour of late Khalid Abdullah

Dettori will be remembering rides on such stars as Enable in the pink, white and green silks of leading racing patron Khalid Abdullah who died last year. He races in Saudi Arabia in Abdullah's honour.

Frankie Dettori will be thinking of the famous pink, green and white silks of Prince Khalid Abdullah when he takes part in a race staged in honour of the late owner in Saudi Arabia on Saturday.

Dettori built up a wonderful partnership with the John Gosden-trained, Abdullah-owned Enable - winning the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe twice, the Breeders' Cup Turf, three King Georges, the Oaks and Irish Oaks.

Abdullah also owned the legendary Frankel, considered to be the best racehorse of all time.

King Abdulaziz Racecourse will stage the Prince Khalid Bin Abdullah Cup and Dettori will ride Recovery Run, formerly trained by Andrew Balding and now with Bahrain handler Allan Smith.

Dettori said: "Prince Khalid did amazing things for the sport of horse racing and it's a pleasure to ride in the race named in his honour.
"He will never be forgotten, and I'll be forever grateful for all the opportunities I was given to ride for him, not least Enable who gave us all such incredible memories.
"I've ridden in Saudi for years and the racing calendar out there is very strong now. Of course, there is the Saudi Cup meeting next month, but there are more good races with top prize money throughout the winter that make it an attractive option for the European jockeys.
"The dirt course is top class, and the turf track is beautiful. It's fresh every year, you really can't fault it.
"The Prince Khalid Bin Abdullah Cup on Saturday looks an interesting race, with plenty of familiar names in there like My Frankel and Fabilis.
"I remember I rode Crossed Baton to win the Derby Trial at Epsom a few years back and he only left John's (Gosden) last year, so he's interesting too. As for my horse, Recovery Run, he won his last start by 21 lengths, so I'd like to think he's got a good chance!"

Former champion jockey Silvestre de Sousa will be joining Dettori, riding Fabilis, formerly owned by Abdullah and trained by Ralph Beckett.

De Sousa said: "It's a real honour to have been asked and I am looking forward to spending time out there. The racing is good quality and the people are so welcoming."

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