Saudi Cup: Forever Young Headlines, Casse Starts 'Dazzle

FOREVER YOUNG (JPN) drew post position six for the $20 million Saudi Cup (G1) crown at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh on Saturday. The Saudi Cup is the richest race in the world and the two-day festival of racing will be on www.HPIBet.com. Post time on Saturday for the first race to be shown on HPI is 8:20 a.m. (EST).

The son of Real Steel won the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) at Del Mar last fall and is bidding for his second consecutive Saudi Cup. The five-year-old has won 10 of 13 races and over $19 million.

Forever Young. (Copyright Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia / Abdullah Wanas Alshammari)

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Forever Young’s competition includes 13 other entrants, including two from trainer BOB BAFFERT, who is in Saudi Arabia for the race.

Flavien Prat will guide Nysos (Nyquist) from gate 12, while Irad Ortiz Jr. and Nevada Beach (Omaha Beach) have drawn gate seven.

“I’d rather be on the outside than the inside,” Baffert said after drawing the wide gate for Nysos. “As long as the horse shows up, that is more important. I think he is a really good horse and has always shown brilliance, he’s a trier and knows where the wire is. From the outside he will have a clear run.”

“Gate seven is good for Nevada Beach, too. We just didn’t want to be in the one-hole,” Baffert added.

Last year’s fifth-place finisher Rattle N Roll (Connect) raced from seven on that occasion, but this time around Joel Rosario will steer Kenny McPeek’s six-year-old from stall 11.

Kyoko Maekawa was on hand to draw stall one for Sunrise Zipangu (JPN) who will be ridden by Oisin Murphy. The Japan Racing Association’s first-ever female trainer was Forever Young’s trainer Yoshito Yahagi’s assistant in Saudi Arabia when Panthalassa (JPN) won the Saudi Cup from stall one in 2023. Noriyuki Hori’s Luxor Cafe (USA) has a wider starting point in barrier 10.

Leading local contender Mhally (GB), a son of Ontario’s newest sire Sergei Prokofiev, will break from stall 13, which pleased his connections.

“We are very happy with that draw, we wanted something on the outside,” Sheikh Faisal Al Sabah, son of owner Sheikh Abdullah Homoud Almalek Alsabah said. “Hopefully he proves himself on Saturday.”

Banishing (Ghostzapper) was described as a horse with “a heart of gold” by trainer David Jacobson’s son, Zachary, and the American raider will break from stall three, while the Brad Cox-trained Bishops Bay (Uncle Mo) will come from nine.

The Saad Aljenade-trained Star Of Wonder (USA) will start from the same stall five that Emblem Road (USA) won the race, while his stable companion Haqeet (USA) is inside that in box two under Mickael Barzalona. Ryan Moore is a notable jockey booking for the Sami Alharabi-trained Ameerat Alzamaan (GB) who breaks from four.

Thundersquall (GB) will start from the widest draw of all in 14 for trainer Muteb Almulawah and jockey Danny Tudhope, while Tumbarumba (USA) and James Doyle will begin the richest race in the world from barrier eight for Hamad Al Jehani and Wathnan Racing.

Woodbine’s leading trainer, MARK CASSE, has sent Tracy Farmer’s fleet grey mare TIME TO DAZZLE (Not This Time) to Saudi Arabia for the Grade 2 Turf Sprint at 1351 metres for $2 milliom. Winner of Woodbine’s Ontario Colleen Stakes in 2024 and the Grade 2 Franklin Stakes at Keeneland in her last appearance (Oct. 12 at Keeneland), Time to Dazzle has post seven in the 13-horse field.