Photo:

Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia / Erika Rasmussen

Coming in off a spectacular 3-year-old season with Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup Classic board-hitting finishes in the United States, Forever Young closed 2024 with a dominant performance in the Tokyo Daishoten (G1) in Japan. Training up a storm and proven with a win in the Saudi Derby (G3) last year on this track, Forever Young may be the horse to beat.

Age:

4 years old – Colt

Owner(s):

Susumu Fujita

Trainer:

Yoshito Yahagi

Romantic Warrior, the three-time winner of the Hong Kong Cup (G1) who is trying dirt for the first time, and U.S.-based Rattle N Roll, who won the local Saudi prep last month, also are expected to attract a lot of bets.

TV coverage of the Saudi Cup will be presented by FS2 and FanDuel TV. The race is scheduled for 12:40 p.m. EST.

Don’t forget Super Screener analysis and wagering strategies for the Saudi Cup and Sunday’s Rebel Stakes day at Oaklawn.

HRN picks

HRN‘s Ed DeRosa took a look at the Saudi Cup field and saw one horse who can upset the Forever Young party. Romantic Warrior.

“As for Romantic Warrior, what is not to like? This 7-year-old Acclamation gelding sports an eight-race win streak with wins at three tracks and distances, including 1 1/8 miles four weeks ago at Meydan,” DeRosa said. There is nothing to suggest this Danny Shum trainee will not fire another superlative performance since he has handled shipping already with such aplomb. I am excited to bet this horse at 2-1 or better, and he is a single for me on all multi-race wagers.”

Get the whole story on Romantic Warrior as well as Forever Young’s chances, in the Saudi Cup fair odds. There also is a profile on how Forever Young, a bona-fide star in Hong Kong, just keeps on getting better at age 7.

Pgm	Silks	Horse / Sire	Rating	Trainer / Jockey	Last start	Int’l odds
1 pp10		Al Musmak Night of Thunder		Thamer Aldaihani Muhammad Aldaham	1st, KAR, cond, 1/4/25	33-1
Last race		1st, KAR, cond, 1/4/25
2 pp11		Defunded Dialed In	6.85	Abdulaziz Khalid Mishref Antonio Fresu	1st, 2025 UK Cup	66-1
Last race		1st, 2025 UK Cup
3 pp13		El Kodigo Equal Stripes		Abdulaziz Meshref Gustavo Calvente	1st, 2025 Jose Pedro Ramirez G1	33-1
Last race		1st, 2025 Jose Pedro Ramirez G1
4 pp12		Facteur Cheval Ribchester	7.24	Jerome Reynier Mickael Barzalona	3rd, 2025 Al Maktoum Challenge G1	12-1
Last race		3rd, 2025 Al Maktoum Challenge G1
5 pp14		Forever Young Real Steel	7.89	Yoshito Yahagi Ryusei Sakai	1st, 2024 Tokyo Daishoten G1	8-5
Last race		1st, 2024 Tokyo Daishoten G1
6 pp2		Intense for Me Fortify		Abdulaziz Meshref Camilo Ospina	1st, 2024 Carlos Pellegrini G1	66-1
Last race		1st, 2024 Carlos Pellegrini G1
7 pp9		Ramjet Majestic Warrior		Shozo Sasaki Kosei Miura	3rd, 2024 Tokyo Daishoten G1	25-1
Last race		3rd, 2024 Tokyo Daishoten G1
8 pp7		Rattle N Roll Connect	7.12	Kenny McPeek Joel Rosario	1st, 2025 Two Holy Mosques Cup G3	10-1
Last race		1st, 2025 Two Holy Mosques Cup G3
9 pp3		Romantic Warrior Acclamation	7.89	Danny Shum James McDonald	1st, 2025 Jebel Hatta G1	2-1
Last race		1st, 2025 Jebel Hatta G1
10 pp1		Ushba Tesoro Orfevre	7.62	Noboru Takagi Akira Sugawara	4th, 2024 Tokyo Daishoten G1	14-1
Last race		4th, 2024 Tokyo Daishoten G1
11 pp8		Wait to Excel Postponed		Thamer Aldaihani Adel Alfouraidi	2nd, 2025 Two Holy Mosques Cup G3	40-1
Last race		2nd, 2025 Two Holy Mosques Cup G3
12 pp6		Walk of Stars Dubawi	6.34	Bhupat Seemar Tadgh O’Shea	1st, 2025 Al Maktoum Challenge G1	20-1
Last race		1st, 2025 Al Maktoum Challenge G1
13 pp4		Wilson Tesoro Kitasan Black		Noboru Takagi Yuga Kawada	2nd, 2024 Tokyo Daishoten G1	40-1
Last race		2nd, 2024 Tokyo Daishoten G1
14 pp5		Wootton’Sun Wootton Bassett		Abdullah Mishref Al-Kahtani Ricardo Ferreira	3rd, 2025 Two Holy Mosques Cup G3	66-1
Last race		3rd, 2025 Two Holy Mosques Cup G3
15 ae		Scotland Yard Quality Road		Nicholas Bachalard Luis Morales	14th, 2025 Two Holy Mosques Cup G3	66-1
Last race		14th, 2025 Two Holy Mosques Cup G3