Andrew Strauss says Saudi is an eye opener

Former England cricket captain and batsman Sir Andrew Strauss was in the crowds on the opening night of the Saudi Cup horseracing festival

“We're quite interested in the growth of sport in this region. [Strauss is executive chairman of sports investment and marketing firm TTB Capital]. So this is a great opportunity for us to do that... and sample what Riyadh and Saudi have got to offer.

"There's definitely a buzz here. There's a lot happening in all sorts of different sports and more broadly in society... So it's a real eye-opener for me."

The Saudi Cup is organised by The Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia in partnership with the Ministry of Culture.