'We want to make it truly exceptional' - Saudi Arabia officials eager to continue racing's rise

David Mackinnon is a man on a mission with the Saudi Cup just around the corner, and there is plenty to do for the former British racecourse executive in a developing racing jurisdiction determined to excel on the world stage.

Mackinnon, previously head of operations at Jockey Club Racecourses south-west region, and before that managing director at Windsor and Sandown, is settling into warmer climes in a kingdom with a rich history of horse culture but whose flagship race meeting is only just approaching its fourth birthday.

Explaining how he comes to be sipping a cup of coffee on a typically sunny Riyadh morning, Mackinnon says: "I was very fortunate to be part of the Jockey Club set-up in Britain for 15 or 16 years, with the last ten in Cheltenham and involved in running the Cheltenham Festival.