'Make Believe has come on to the radar of some very successful breeders'

It is doubtful whether many long-term plans will be as finely executed this year as that behind the victory of Mishriff in last Saturday’s Saudi Cup in Riyadh.

An excellent advert for his young sire Make Believe, Mishriff races for his breeder Prince Faisal, who also campaigned his Classic-winning sire on the track. Prince Faisal has cultivated Mishriff's family for four decades, dating back to his purchase of Eljazzi as a yearling in 1982, and has enjoyed plenty of rewards along the way, notably as the owner-breeder of Rafha and her sons Invincible Spirit and Kodiac.

Nevertheless, as a Prix du Jockey Club winner who possesses the rare ability to mix it in elite company on turf and dirt, Mishriff must rank as the breeder’s finest accomplishment yet. Particularly appropriate is the fact that his win on Saturday came in the Prince’s home country, and in a testament to those involved, was achieved following a winter of training in baltic Newmarket.