Photo:

Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia / Matt Stone

Fourteen runners will chase the Group 1, $20 million Saudi Cup at the King Abdulaziz Racecourse on Saturday.

The sixth edition of the Saudi Cup is full of international flavor and fascinating angles as Hong Kong superstar Romantic Warrior sets out to prove he is as adaptable on a dirt track. The Danny Shum-trained 7-year-old has proven to be in a league of his own on turf in Hong Kong when becoming a multiple Group 1 winner.

In contrast, the leading Japan-trained hopeful Forever Young is a familiar face to those in Saudi Arabia, having been so impressive when winning last year’s renewal of the Saudi Derby (G3) on the same dirt track in Riyadh.

Romantic Warrior has found himself drawn favorably in barrier 3 for Saturday’s assignment and, after walking the dirt track and spending plenty of time surveying the scene, Shum is confident that the recent winner of the Jebel Hatta (G1) in Dubai will indeed have no problem with the surface.

When Forever Young won at this meeting last year, Yoshito Yahagi’s star did so in dramatic style, getting in front in the final stride under Ryusei Sakai. But if he is to win this famous prize, he will have to do it from the widest barrier in 14.

Hoping to go one better than last year in the Saudi Cup is another Japan runner, Ushba Tesoro, and Noboru Takagi’s charge is another who cannot be ignored on Saturday after finishing in the runner-up position in last year’s Dubai World Cup (G1).

Takagi also runs Wilson Tesoro, who was second behind Forever Young in the Toyko Daishoten (G1) in December, while third-place finisher on that occasion, Ramjet, also is back to renew the rivalry for trainer Shozo Sasaki in what is once again a strong Japan representation.

Another horse with proven winning form at King Abdulaziz Racecourse to add interest to this year’s renewal is the Kenny McPeek-trained Rattle N Roll.

Decorated American trainer McPeek targeted The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup (G3) in January, and an impressive victory on that occasion sees Rattle N Roll primed for another big showing.

Walk Of Stars arrives in Saudia Arabia in terrific form for Dubai-based trainer Bhupat Seemar, with the 6-year-old winning the Al Maktoum Challenge (G1) last month. He defeated another of his weekend rivals, the French challenger Facteur Cheval, who has elite European form and represents trainer Jerome Reynier.

The 4-year-old Al Musmak is possibly the best of the Saudi Arabia-trained runners this year for leading trainer Thamer Aldaihani and owner Sheikh Abdullah Homoud Almalek Alsabah. Al Musmak had a nice winning prep race last month after arriving from the United Kingdom and will be joined by stable companion Wait To Excel, who was second to Rattle N Roll on his previous outing.

The 2025 line-up is completed by three starters for Muhaideb Abdullah Almuhaideb and trainer Abdulaziz Mishref, with the South American imports El Kodigo and Intense For Me joined by familiar face Defunded, and Wootton’sun, who was third to Rattle N Roll last time, represents trainer Abdullah Al Kahtani.

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