Saudi Cup Look: Fields for $20 million feature & 5 more stakes
Photo:
Eclipse Sportswire – edited composite
Forever Young was the 8-5 favorite Wednesday morning in international
betting for this weekend’s Group 1, $20 million Saudi Cup, the world’s richest
race for Thoroughbreds.
The draw is scheduled as part of a one-hour program
starting Wednesday at 11 a.m. EST on the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia YouTube channel.
The 1 1/8-mile event that is run around one left turn on dirt
is the last of nine races on Saturday’s card that includes six Thoroughbred
group stakes at King Abdulaziz Racecourse. The Saudi Cup is scheduled to start
at 12:40 p.m. EST.
Japan-based Forever Young is part of a full field of 14 plus
one also-eligible entrant. Ten-time Group 1 winner Romantic Warrior, the world’s
richest-earning horse who is trying dirt for the first time, was the 4-1 second
choice Wednesday morning in futures betting monitored by Racing Post in
England. Rattle N Roll, the only U.S. horse in the Saudi Cup, was the 10-1
third choice.
The undercard fields were drawn Tuesday. Cyclone State and
Eclipse Award winner Straight No Chaser, two of the three other U.S.-trained
horses on the card, were favored in their races.
According to the National Center for Meteorology in Saudi
Arabia, the forecast is for clear weather and light wind Saturday in Riyadh with
a high of 72 dropping to 63 for the feature.
Saturday at Riyadh
$20 million Saudi Cup (G1), 1 1/8 miles, Northern Hemisphere
4-year-olds and Southern Hemisphere 3-year-olds and up, 12:40 p.m. EST
Forever Young would be an undefeated 4-year-old if not for
his third-place finishes in America last year in the Kentucky Derby and
Breeders’ Cup Classic. He is 7-for-7 everywhere else. The Real Steel colt won
the 2024 Saudi Derby (G3) on the Saudi Cup undercard and most recently was victorious
in the Tokyo Daishoten (G1) on Dec. 29 at Oi.
Ireland-bred 7-year-old gelding Romantic Warrior has not
lost since October 2023. He earned a third consecutive Hong Kong Cup (G1) in
December and began 2025 by winning the Jebel Hatta (G1) at Meydan. He has 18
wins in 23 starts on turf and $22,798,595 in purse money.
With Sierra Leone, White Abarrio, Locked and Soul of an
Angel taken out of consideration for the long trip, Rattle N Roll was left
alone to represent the U.S. He has been in Saudi Arabia for a while. After his
November victory in the Clark (G2), the 6-year-old trained by Kenny McPeek shipped
and scored in the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup (G3) on Jan. 25 over
the same course and distance as Saturday’s race. As was the case last month,
Joel Rosario has the ride on Rattle N Roll.
Program numbers are assigned first by assigned weight and then alphabetically in Riyadh. Post positions usually do not match.
| Pgm | Silks | Horse / Sire | Rating | Trainer / Jockey | Last start | Int’l odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Al Musmak Night of Thunder |
1st, KAR, cond, 1/4/25 | 33-1 | ||
|
Last race |
1st, KAR, cond, 1/4/25 | |||||
| 2 |
|
Defunded Dialed In |
6.85 | 1st, 2025 UK Cup | 66-1 | |
|
Last race |
1st, 2025 UK Cup | |||||
| 3 |
|
El Kodigo Equal Stripes |
1st, 2025 Jose Pedro Ramirez G1 | 33-1 | ||
|
Last race |
1st, 2025 Jose Pedro Ramirez G1 |
|||||
| 4 |
|
Facteur Cheval Ribchester |
7.24 | 12-1 | ||
|
Last race |
||||||
| 5 |
|
Forever Young Real Steel |
7.89 | 8-5 | ||
|
Last race |
||||||
| 6 |
|
Intense For Me Fortify |
1st, 2024 Carlos Pellegrini G1 | 66-1 | ||
|
Last race |
1st, 2024 Carlos Pellegrini G1 | |||||
| 7 |
|
Ramjet Majestic Warrior |
25-1 | |||
|
Last race |
||||||
| 8 |
|
Rattle N Roll Connect |
7.12 | 1st, 2025 Two Holy Mosques Cup G3 | 10-1 | |
|
Last race |
1st, 2025 Two Holy Mosques Cup G3 | |||||
| 9 |
|
Romantic Warrior Acclamation |
7.89 | 2-1 | ||
|
Last race |
||||||
| 10 |
|
Ushba Tesoro Orfevre |
7.62 | 14-1 | ||
|
Last race |
||||||
| 11 |
|
Wait to Excel Postponed |
2nd, 2025 Two Holy Mosques Cup G3 | 40-1 | ||
|
Last race |
2nd, 2025 Two Holy Mosques Cup G3 | |||||
| 12 |
|
Walk of Stars Dubawi |
6.34 | 20-1 | ||
|
Last race |
||||||
| 13 |
|
Wilson Tesoro Kitasan Black |
40-1 | |||
|
Last race |
||||||
| 14 |
|
Wootton’Sun Wootton Bassett |
3rd, 2025 Two Holy Mosques Cup G3 | 66-1 | ||
| Last race | 3rd, 2025 Two Holy Mosques Cup G3 | |||||
|
15 ae |
|
Scotland Yard Quality Road |
14th, 2025 Two Holy Mosques Cup G3 | 66-1 | ||
| Last race | 14th, 2025 Two Holy Mosques Cup G3 | |||||
$1.5 million Saudi Derby (G3), 1 mile, 3-year-olds, 8:20
a.m. EST
Cyclone State, the only U.S.-trained horse in the field of
11, was the 3-1 favorite Wednesday morning after drawing post 9. He followed
his maiden-breaking win on fifth asking with a 3 1/2-length victory Jan. 4 in
the Jerome. Trainer Chad Summers said he will keep the McKinzie colt in the Middle
East and run him April 5 in the UAE Derby (G2), a win-and-you’re-in qualifier
for the Kentucky Derby. Japan-based Myriad Love, also by McKinzie, is a 2-for-2
filly who was the 7-2 second choice Wednesday morning. She leads the standings
for Japan’s one reserved spot in the Kentucky Derby, but she was not among the
early nominations for the U.S. Triple Crown.
| Pgm / PP | Silks | Horse / Sire | Rating | Trainer / Jockey | Last start | Int’l odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 pp7 |
|
Giustino Full Mast |
50-1 | |||
| Last race | ||||||
|
2 pp4 |
|
Apples And Bananas Wootton Bassett |
3rd, 2025 Criterium International G1 | 8-1 | ||
| Last race | 3rd, 2024 Criterium International G1 | |||||
|
3 pp11 |
|
Badr Alsamawi Mucho Gusto |
3rd, 2025 King Abdulaziz Cup | 100-1 | ||
| Last race | 3rd, 2025 King Abdulaziz Cup | |||||
|
4 pp9 |
|
Cyclone State McKinzie |
6.34 | 3-1 | ||
| Last race | ||||||
|
5 pp3 |
|
Faal Khair Tapiture |
1st, 2025 Prince Mohd Cup | 33-1 | ||
| Last race | 1st, 2025 Prince Mohd Cup | |||||
|
6 pp1 |
|
Golden Vekoma Vekoma |
6.12 | 5-1 | ||
| Last race | ||||||
|
7 pp5 |
|
Mhalhal Daredevil |
2nd, 2024 Ministry of the Nat’l Guard Cup | 25-1 | ||
| Last race | 2nd, 2024 Ministry of the Nat’l Guard Cup | |||||
|
8 pp10 |
|
Mhally Sergei Prokofiev |
1st, 2025 Saudi 2,000 Guineas | 33-1 | ||
| Last race | 1st, 2025 Saudi 2,000 Guineas | |||||
|
9 pp8 |
|
Shin Forever Complexity |
5th, 2025 Junior Cup | 12-1 | ||
| Last race | 5th, 2025 Junior Cup | |||||
|
10 pp6 |
|
Mistress Kizuna |
4th, 2025 Bluebird Cup | 40-1 | ||
| Last race | 4th, 2025 Bluebird Cup | |||||
|
11 pp2 |
|
Myriad Love New Year’s Day |
7-2 | |||
| Last race | ||||||
$2 million Riyadh Dirt Sprint (G2), 6 furlongs, Northern
Hemisphere 4-year-olds and Southern Hemisphere 3-year-olds and up, 9 a.m. EST
Straight No Chaser, the champion U.S. male sprinter, was the
early 5-4 favorite to make his 2025 debut a triumphant one when he faces 11 other
horses in this one-turn dash. Trained by Dan Blacker, the 6-year-old Speightster
entire has won four of his last five starts with three of those victories
coming in graded stakes. Japan-bred Remake, the 7-2 second choice, won this
race last year by overtaking Skelly in the deep stretch. The 6-year-old Lani
horse who also won the Korea Sprint (G3) in September was a last-place
disappointment in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint that Straight No Chaser won Nov. 2
at Del Mar.
| Pgm / PP | Silks | Horse / Sire | Rating | Trainer / Jockey | Last start | Int’l odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 pp1 |
|
Ancestral Land Sioux Nation |
5.48 | 1st, 2025 Riyadh Dirt Sprint qualifier | 33-1 | |
| Last race | 1st, 2025 Riyadh Dirt Sprint qualifier | |||||
|
2 pp8 |
|
Chikappa Real Steel |
6th, 2024 Capella G3 | 16-1 | ||
| Last race | 6th, 2024 Capella G3 | |||||
|
3 pp6 |
|
Igniter Espoir City |
4th, 2024 JBC Sprint | 16-1 | ||
| Last race | 4th, 2024 JBC Sprint | |||||
|
4 pp10 |
|
Jasper Krone Frosted |
5.84 | 12-1 | ||
| Last race | ||||||
|
5 pp5 |
|
Muqtahem Soldier’s Call |
2nd, 2025 Riyadh Dirt Sprint qualifier | 50-1 | ||
| Last race | 2nd, 2025 Riyadh Dirt Sprint qualifier | |||||
|
6 pp2 |
|
Nonesense Street Sense |
4th, 2025 Riyadh Dirt Sprint qualifier | 66-1 | ||
| Last race | 4th, 2025 Riyadh Dirt Sprint qualifier | |||||
|
7 pp7 |
|
Power of Beauty Slade Power |
4th, 2025 King Faisal Cup | 50-1 | ||
| Last race | 4th, 2025 King Faisal Cup | |||||
|
8 pp4 |
|
Remake Lani |
5.84 | 7-2 | ||
| Last race | ||||||
|
9 pp12 |
|
Saodad Tapizar |
1st, 2025 Imam Mohammed Bin Saud Cup | 66-1 | ||
| Last race | 1st, 2025 Imam Mohammed Bin Saud Cup | |||||
|
10 pp9 |
|
Straight No Chaser Speightster |
7.85 | 5-4 | ||
| Last race | ||||||
|
11 pp3 |
|
Gabby’s Sister Apollo Kingdom |
1st, 2024 Capella | 12-1 | ||
| Last race | 1st, 2024 Capella | |||||
|
12 pp11 |
|
Halaa Outwork |
2nd, 2024 Prince Abdullah Bin Jalawi | 66-1 | ||
| Last race | 2nd, 2024 Prince Abdullah Bin Jalawi | |||||
$2 million Neom Turf Cup (G2), 1 5/16 miles, turf, Northern
Hemisphere 4-year-olds and Southern Hemisphere 3-year-olds and up, 10:25 a.m.
EST
Shin Emperor, the early 5-4 favorite for what will be the
longest race of his career, is winless since his Grade 3 triumph nearly 15
months ago back home in Japan. His seven losses since have come against some
tough company. Throw out a 12th-place finish in the swampy conditions of the
Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (G1), and the 4-year-old Siyouni colt is 5: 0-2-2 in
dry Group 1s. His last start resulted in a neck loss finishing second to Do
Deuce in the Tokyo Cup (G1) on Nov. 24.
| Pgm / PP | Silks | Horse / Sire | Rating | Trainer / Jockey | Last start | Int’l odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 pp4 |
|
Al Riffa Wootton Bassett |
7.26 | 7-2 | ||
| Last race | ||||||
|
2 pp10 |
|
Bolide Porto Le Havre |
1st, 2025 Prince Khalid Abdullah Cup | 50-1 | ||
| Last race | 1st, 2025 Prince Khalid Abdullah Cup | |||||
|
3 pp2 |
|
Calif Areion |
16-1 | |||
| Last race | ||||||
|
4 pp1 |
|
Haunted Dream Oasis Dream |
2nd, 2025 Sheikh Joaan Al Thani Rifle | 20-1 | ||
| Last race | 2025, 2nd Sheikh Joaan Al Thani Rifle | |||||
|
5 pp6 |
|
Killer Ability Deep Impact |
5.39 | 33-1 | ||
| Last race | ||||||
|
6 pp3 |
|
Shin Emperor Siyouni |
5-4 | |||
| Last race | ||||||
|
7 pp7 |
|
Sovereign Spirit Le Havre |
2nd, 2025 Crown Prince’s Cup | 50-1 | ||
| Last race | 2nd, 2025 Crown Prince’s Cup | |||||
|
8 pp8 |
|
Spirit Dancer Frankel |
8-1 | |||
| Last race | ||||||
|
9 pp9 |
|
Straight Zarak |
16-1 | |||
| Last race | ||||||
|
10 pp5 |
|
Trustyourinstinct Churchill |
2nd, 2025 Premio Roma Italian Champion G2 | 16-1 | ||
| Last race | 2nd, 2025 Premio Roma Italian Champion G2 | |||||
$2 million 1351 Turf Sprint (G2), 6 3/4 furlongs, turf, Northern
Hemisphere 4-year-olds and Southern Hemisphere 3-year-olds and up, 11:10 a.m.
EST
Bred in Japan and named for a medieval city in Italy, 4-year-old
filly Ascoli Piceno is 5: 3-2-0 in group races. In her first trip off shore,
she finished 12th as the 2-1 favorite in the Golden Eagle conditions stakes at
Rosehill in Australia. Early betting made her the 2-1 favorite to bounce back
from that disappointment to win this race. U.S. shipper Howard Wolowitz, the 12-1
fifth choice in the field of 13, has alternated losses and wins in his six-race
career for trainer José D’Angelo. The 4-year-old Munnings colt who won the
Franklin-Simpson (G1) at Kentucky Downs is coming off a victory in the
black-type Holiday Cheer Stakes on Dec. 15 at Turfway Park. The unique 1,351-meter
distance of this race commemorates 1351 on the Hijri calendar. That corresponds
to 1932, the year Saudi Arabia became a kingdom.
| Pgm / PP | Silks | Horse / Sire | Rating | Trainer / Jockey | Last start | Int’l odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 pp2 |
|
Annaf Muhaarar |
3rd, 2025 Kachy | 6-1 | ||
| Last race | 3rd, 2025 Kachy | |||||
|
2 pp4 |
|
Ava Go Joe Dragon Pulse |
1st, 2025 Al Wasmiya Cup | 20-1 | ||
| Last race | 1st, 2025 Al Wasmiya Cup | |||||
|
3 pp7 |
|
Byline Muhaarar |
2nd, 2025 Southern Governate Cup | 25-1 | ||
| Last race | 2nd, 2025 Southern Governate Cup | |||||
|
4 pp9 |
|
Dark Trooper Dark Angel |
2nd, 2025 Sheikh Joaan Al Thani Trophy | 16-1 | ||
| Last race | 2nd, 2025 Sheikh Joaan Al Thani Trophy | |||||
|
5 pp1 |
|
Goemon Dark Angel |
1st, 2025 Bahrain Mile | 50-1 | ||
| Last race | 1st, 2025 Bahrain Mile | |||||
|
6 pp8 |
|
Howard Wolowitz Munnings |
6.80 | 12-1 | ||
| Last race | ||||||
|
7 pp13 |
|
Malyan Twilight Son |
1st, 2025 Turf Sprint qualifier | 50-1 | ||
| Last race | 1st, 2025 Turf Sprint qualifier | |||||
|
8 pp10 |
|
Task Force Frankel |
8-1 | |||
| Last race | ||||||
|
9 pp5 |
|
Uncle Harry Angel |
15th, 2025 Two Holy Mosques Cup | 66-1 | ||
| Last race | 15th, 2025 Two Holy Mosques Cup | |||||
|
10 pp12 |
|
Win Marvel I’ll Have Another |
8th, 2024 Hanshin Cup G2 | 8-1 | ||
| Last race | 8th, 2024 Hanshin Cup G2 | |||||
|
11 pp6 |
|
Witness Stand Expert Eye |
14-1 | |||
| Last race | ||||||
|
12 pp3 |
|
Ascoli Piceno Daiwa Major |
12th, 2024 Golden Eagle | 2-1 | ||
| Last race | 12th, 2024 Golden Eagle | |||||
|
13 pp11 |
|
Ten Happy Rose Epiphaneia |
16-1 | |||
| Last race | ||||||
$2.5 million Red Sea Turf Handicap (G2), 1 7/8 miles,
turf, Northern Hemisphere 4-year-olds and Southern Hemisphere 3-year-olds and
up, 11:50 a.m. EST
Continuous, a 5-year-old Galileo horse trained by Aidan O’Brien
and ridden by Ryan Moore, was a narrow 4-1 favorite in the ante-post market for
this 11-horse race. Since his triumph in the 2023 St. Leger in England, he is 1-for-7
in top-level company, finishing ninth at 31-1 on Dec. 8 in the Hong Kong Vase
(G1). Three-time stakes-winning 7-year-old Al Nayyir, Group 2-winning 5-year-old
Gregory and novice-winning 4-year-old Deira Mile all were showing at 5-1.
| Pgm / PP | Silks | Horse / Sire | Rating | Trainer / Jockey | Last start | Int’l odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 pp4 |
|
Al Nayyir Dubawi |
5-1 | |||
| Last race | ||||||
|
2 pp9 |
|
Gregory Golden Horn |
5-1 | |||
| Last race | ||||||
|
3 pp7 |
|
Continuous Heart’s Cry |
6.75 | 4-1 | ||
| Last race | ||||||
|
4 pp2 |
|
Deira Mile Camelot |
5-1 | |||
| Last race | ||||||
|
5 pp11 |
|
Byzantine Dream Epiphaneia |
6th, 2025 American Jockey Club Cup | 12-1 | ||
| Last race | 6th, 2025 American Jockey Club Cup | |||||
|
6 pp6 |
|
Prydwen Camelot |
20-1 | |||
| Last race | ||||||
|
7 pp10 |
|
Presage Nocturne Wootton Bassett |
12-1 | |||
| Last race | ||||||
|
8 pp1 |
|
Trafalgar Square Kendargent |
12-1 | |||
| Last race | ||||||
|
9 pp3 |
|
Epic Poet Lope de Vega |
5.27 | 10-1 | ||
| Last race | ||||||
|
10 pp8 |
|
Jack Red Cloud Sioux Nation |
12th, 2025 Two Holy Mosques Cup | 40-1 | ||
| Last race | 12th, 2025 Two Holy Mosques Cup | |||||
|
11 pp5 |
|
Year of the Dragon Dragon Pulse |
1st, hcp, KAR, 12/27/24 | 50-1 | ||
| Last race | 1st, hcp, KAR, 12/27/24 | |||||
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