BY BROCK SHERIDAN
Alex and JoAnn Lieblong’s graded stakes-winner Reef Runner worked four furlongs Friday morning at Gulfstream Park in preparation for a trip to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for the $2 million 1351 Turf Sprint (G2) at King Abdulaziz Racecourse on Saudi Cup night, February 14. The Turf Sprint is set for a distance of 1,351 meters, just shy of seven furlongs.
Bred in Florida by the Lieblongs, Reef Runner clocked a half mile in :46.63 on the synthetic course, the second fastest of 30 works at the distance this morning.
“Excellent,” trainer David Fawkes said of the work. “David Egan worked him and it looks like David is going to ride him [in Saudi] and he really worked well. I’m real happy with this horse. He went in :46 and three and galloped out in :59 and David never even let him run.”
“If everything goes smooth, we’re going [to Riyadh] and everything is set in place. I think [Reef Runner] is scheduled to fly out on February 2. I will leave the day before. I guess my flight is slower than the horse flight. He flies direct.”
Reef Runner has won two of his last three races including a length victory in the $125,000 Janus Stakes (Listed), run at five furlongs on the Gulfstream turf on December 20; and a dazzling half-length score in the Grade 2 Eddie D going six-and-a-half furlongs off the downhill course at Santa Anita in September. Between those two, Reef Runner was fourth in the $920,000 Prevagen Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1) won by Shisospicy at Del Mar on November 1.
By The Big Beast out of Paradise Bay, by Blame, Reef Runner has won seven of 22 career starts with five seconds and five thirds while earning $627,580.
Despite training several top sprinters during his career including Florida-bred Big Drama, the 2010 Eclipse Award Champion Sprinter, Fawkes said this will be his first trip to the Middle East.
“I’m getting to be an old man and I’ve never gone over [to the Middle East],” he said. “It’s pretty exciting honestly. I had a chance to go to Dubai with Big Drama, but for some reason [owner and breeder Harold] Queen didn’t want to run him on Tapeta.”
Return to the January 23 issue of Wire to Wire
