A likely field of 14 has been announced for the $20 million Saudi Cup (G1) on Feb. 24 at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – the world’s richest horse race. usracing.com will post profiles for all the starters, with post positions, odds, and updates provided when available.
A multiple graded stakes winning trainer, 64-year-old Dallas Stewart has never shied away from pitting his charges against tough competition. He’s earned the moniker “the longshot king,” and through the years, his horses have often outrun their odds.
To wit: Tale of Verve, second to eventual Triple Crown winner American Pharoah in the 2015 Preakness at 28-1. How about Golden Soul, second at 34-1 to Orb in the 2013 Kentucky Derby? Or Commanding Curve, who at 37-1 was second to California Chrome in the 2014 Derby?
Stewart will be swinging for the fences once again in the Saudi Cup with the mostly unheralded 5-year-old Hoist the Gold, whose claim to fame rests with a pair of recent Grade 2 wins in 2023 with the Cigar Mile on Dec. 12, in which he earned a career-best 117 Equibase speed figure, and the 6-furlong Phoenix on Oct. 6 at Keeneland, his first graded stakes win.
It was after the son of Mineshaft’s victory in the Cigar Mile that Stewart started musing about a trip overseas. While Hoist the Gold is well-traveled – he's made 21 starts at 12 different tracks since 2022 – a jaunt across the pond is a different story.
But Stewart thinks things may be aligning just right for the Dream Team One color-bearer, even though Hoist the Gold is winless beyond a mile.
“The one-turn (1 1/8 miles) seems appealing,” said Stewart. “That looks like his style.”
Betting advice: Ignore a Stewart longshot at your own risk. May stick with the frontrunners for a bit but see him fading rather than strengthening in the stretch.
Post position: 8
Odds: 30-1
Jockey: John Velazquez
Trainer: Dallas Stewart
Owner: Dream Team One Racing
Age: 5
Career record: 27 5-6-3
Career earnings: $1,262,797
Last race: Pegasus World Cup, Jan. 27 (4th)
Top Equibase speed figure: 117
Pedigree: Mineshaft-Tacit Approval, by Tapit
Color: Dark bay
Running style: Tactical speed
Notes: Arrived in Saudi Arabia on Feb. 15 ... most recent work was a half-mile in 48.49 at Gulfstream Park on Feb. 8, first since his fourth-place finish in the Pegasus World Cup ... a longshot in the vast majority of his starts, Hoist the Gold’s most recent win as the favorite came as the 4-5 choice in a 7-furlong optional claimer on July 1, 2023 at Ellis Park.
| PP | Horse | Jockey | Trainer | Owner | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | White Abarrio | Irad Ortiz, Jr | Rick Dutrow, Jr. | C2 Racing Stable LLC and La Milagrosa Stable, LLC | 3-1 |
| 2 | Isolate | Joel Rosario | Doug Watson | RRR Racing | 15-1 |
| 3 | Lemon Pop | Ryusei Sakai | Hiroyasu Tanaka | Godolphin | 15-1 |
| 4 | Senor Buscador | Junior Alvarado | Todd Fincher | Joe R. Peacock, Jr | 10-1 |
| 5 | Saudi Crown | Florent Geroux | Brad Cox | SFMQ Stables | 8-1 |
| 6 | Crown Pride | Joao Moreira | Koichi Shintani | Teruya Yoshida | 20-1 |
| 7 | National Treasure | Flavien Prat | Bob Baffert | F Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Masterson, Robert E., Stonestreet Stables LLC, Schoenfarber, Jay A., Waves Edge Capital LLC and Donovan, Catherine | 9-2 |
| 8 | Hoist the Gold | John Velazquez | Dallas Stewart | Dream Team One Racing Stable | 30-1 |
| 9 | Defunded | Luis Saez | Abdulaziz K Mishref | Pegram, Michael E., Watson, Karl and Weitman, Paul | 25-1 |
| 10 | Power in Numbers | Adel Alfouraidi | Ahmed Mohamoud | Klaravich Stables, Inc. | 30-1 |
| 11 | Ushba Tesoro | Yuga Kawada | Noboru Takagi | Ryotokuji Kenji Holdings Co. Ltd. | 10-1 |
| 12 | Meisho Hario | Suguru Hamanaka | Inao Okada | Yoshio Matsumoto | 20-1 |
| 13 | Derma Sotogake | Christophe Lemaire | Hidetaka Otonashi | Hiroyuki Asanuma | 6-1 |
| 14 | Carmel Road | Camillo Ospina | Abdullah Albadah | SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Masterson, Robert E., Stonestreet Stables LLC, Schoenfarber, Jay A., Waves Edge Capital LLC and Donovan, Catherinetd> | 25-1 |
The writing team at US Racing is comprised of both full-time and part-time contributors with expertise in various aspects of the Sport of Kings.
