Photo:

Candice Chavez / Eclipse Sportswire

Rattle N Roll had an easy canter of the King Abdulaziz Racecourse dirt track on Thursday morning as he prepared for his tilt in the Group 1, $20 million Saudi Cup.

Now a 6-year-old, Rattle N Roll is in the form of his career for trainer Kenny McPeek. The son of Connect won his past two runs in exceptional fashion, taking the Clark Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs and then the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup in Saudi Arabia.

“We’ve approached him a little bit differently, the older he’s become,” McPeek said. “I, admittedly, was pretty aggressive with him as a 3-year-old and even ran him back on seven days’ rest and should have won both if not for a little traffic issue.

“We are now spacing his races more, and I think he fires a bigger shot when we do that. I think, at this age for him, coming back with more time really benefits him.”

Those two efforts came on the heels of being frustratingly denied entry into the Breeders’ Cup Classic as first reserve. It was a similar scenario to 2023, when the chestnut was sitting first reserve for the Kentucky Derby and never drew into the body of the race.

“This horse would probably be much more recognizable if he had been able to get into the Kentucky Derby, because that race ended up being a closer’s race and he would have benefitted,” McPeek said. “And of course, Rich Strike won that year and we were every bit as good as him, but we didn’t get in.

“Then for us to get excluded in the Breeders’ Cup Classic was another deal where we were fingers crossed we could draw in and he didn’t get in. If we were to win that race, another with a fast pace and really came into it. So here we are today.”

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