Hong Kong, China’s Self Improvement is one of 13 declared runners in Saturday’s (14 February) hotly contested G2 Riyadh Dirt Sprint (1200m, dirt), where he’ll face rivals from North America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh, all vying for a share of the US$2 million (approx. HK$15.63 million) purse.

Manfred Man, who trains Self Improvement and has arrived in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to oversee the horse’s preparation, said: “Because of the long-distance travel, his body weight dropped slightly after he arrived. But over the past few days his appetite has been good, and he has been eating normally.

“His condition has been progressing well. I feel the horse is in better condition now than when he was in South Korea, but rivals in the Riyadh Dirt Sprint are even stronger; we hope to deliver the best possible performance.”

Jerry Chau, who reunites with Self Improvement in barrier eight after starring with a Happy Valley treble on Wednesday night (11 February), said: “It’s the next step, and the competition will be stronger. Hopefully, he enjoys the track – that’s the most important part for me and the horse.”

Successful in September’s G3 Korea Sprint (1200m, sand), Self Improvement’s toughest assignment yet comes against form lines from November’s Breeders’ Cup fixture, led by the Riyadh Dirt Sprint’s expected race favourite Imagination, trained by Bob Baffert, who enters off a second in the G1 Breeders’ Cup Sprint (1200m, dirt) behind Bentornato.

Speaking to the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia, Baffert said: “He is the kind of horse that takes off a little slow; it takes him a while to get going but the further the better. He should be very competitive. It’s hard to know how the form will compare, but he’s doing well.”

Five-year-old Imagination has placed in three Group 1s. The 2024 G2 San Felipe Stakes (1700m, dirt) and 2025 G2 Santa Anita Sprint Championship (1200m, dirt) are his best wins.

Trained by Librado Barocio, eight-year-old Lovesick Blues captured a first elite-level win in the 2025 G1 Bing Crosby Stakes (1200m, dirt) at Del Mar last July. Following an unlucky sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint last start after rallying late from last position, the veteran grey galloper chases redemption this weekend. 

Speaking to the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia, Barocio said: “He got a really bad trip in the Breeders’ Cup. He got squeezed and was left like 10 lengths behind, but then he started really closing. Unfortunately, then he couldn’t find room. I’m ready to take on Imagination again, especially over this longer stretch. Once he gets into that stride and he gets going, he’s so good.”

Just Beat The Odds is also trained out of North America, and is a winner at Monmouth Park, Tampa Bay Downs and recently Aqueduct in New York, where he captured his biggest win to date in the 2025 G3 Elite Power Stakes (1200m, dirt) in December, for trainer Gregg Sacco.

Leading Saudi Arabia’s charge is Muqtahem, who returns for this year’s Riyadh Dirt Sprint after finishing second in the race last year behind North America’s Straight No Chaser. Since then, the Abdullah Alsidrani-trained runner has dominated on home soil with five straight wins – most recently capturing the Prince Fahad Bin Jalawi Cup (1200m, dirt) by almost six lengths over Saturday night’s course and distance. 

Japan, which has won the Riyadh Dirt Sprint three times with Copano Kicking (2021), Dancing Prince (2022) and Remake (2024), field four this year: American Stage, Don Amitie, Yamanin Cerchi and Gabby’s Sister, who links with four-time Hong Kong Champion Jockey (2014/15, 2015/16, 2016/17 & 2020/21) Joao Moreira and returns to the Middle East after a third in the 2025 Riyadh Dirt Sprint.

Trained by Yoshito Yahagi, the front-running American Stage finished fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint last November and is the third runner out of that race engaged in Saturday’s Riyadh Dirt Sprint, which is carded as S2-3 and will be run at 10.40pm (HKT) as part of the seven-race World Pool fixture.