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.
NATIONAL TREASURE
Bob Baffert will send out his seventh starter in the fifth running of the Saudi Cup (G1) on Saturday in National Treasure, still looking for his first victory in the world’s richest horse race.
A win has so far eluded Baffert, but his results have been remarkable
Baffert has saddled the runner-up the past three years with Country Grammer twice and with Charlatan in 2021.
National Treasure Could Provide an Elusive Saudoi Cup Win for his Trainer
While the winner earns $10 million, second place is worth $3.5 million – yes, much more than the winner’s share at the Kentucky Derby, and, in fact, more than the entire Derby purse until this year.
Doing a little more math, we see Baffert’s Saudi Cup runners earned $10.5 million for three seconds, at least $2 million for Mucho Gusto and McKinzie (fourth and 11th in 2020 but set to be moved up one place each after the expected official DQ of Maximum Security), and another $400,000 for Taiba’s eighth in 2023.
With National Treasure, the Preakness (G1) and Pegasus World Cup (G1) winner, Baffert may finally hit the jackpot.
The field is a tough one, but if National Treasure takes the lead early then it’ll be up to everyone else to run him down. Several other frontrunners, including Saudi Crown, could turn the early going into a speed duel, and that could jeopardize National Treasure’s chances. But Baffert usually has his best horses in tiptop shape.
2024 Saudi Cup Contender Odds and Post Position: National Treasure
Betting advice: Will be there at the wire, trying to hold on. Do not ignore.
Post position: 7
Odds: 9-2
Jockey: Flavien Prat
Trainer: Bob Baffert
Owners: SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Sol Kumin, Robert E. Masterson, Stonestreet Stables, Jay A. Schoenfarber, Waves Edge Capital, Catherine Donovan
Age: 4
Career record: 11-3-2-2
Career earnings: $3,322,200
Last race: Pegasus World Cup (G1), Jan. 27 (1st)
Top Equibase speed figure: 115
Pedigree: Quality Road-Treasure, by Medaglia d’Oro
Color: Bay
Running style: Frontrunner
Notes: National Treasure arrived in Riyadh earlier this week after the long flight from Los Angeles to Miami to Saudi Arabia … Prior to his departure, he worked 5 furlongs in 1:01.60 at Santa Anita on Feb. 10 … In between winning the Preakness and Pegasus World Cup, National Treasure was beaten a nose by Cody’s Wish in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1) on Nov. 4.
| 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.
