A field of 14 has been entered for the $20 million Saudi Cup (G1) on Saturday at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – the world’s richest horse race. usracing.com is posting profiles of the starters.
USHBA TESORO (JPN)
Before shipping to North America for a fifth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1), this 7-year-old son of Orfevre (Jpn) racked up an impressive win streak of six stakes, most notably the Dubai World Cup (G1) at Meydan 11 months ago. He is a two-time winner of the Tokyo Daishoten (G1), the most recent he’s using as a springboard into this race.
Japan’s Ushba Tesoro put his name on the international racing map with his win in the 2023 Dubai World Cup
A consummate professional, he settled into his surroundings at King Abdulaziz Racetrack and hasn’t turned a hair, according to his connections.
“He has been relaxed and getting used to the new surroundings since he has arrived. He has a great balance with his conformation and he looks great,” assistant trainer Masakazu Fukami said.
2024 Saudi Cup Contender Odds and Post Position: Ushba Tesoro
Post position: 11
Odds: 10-1 (unofficial US Racing Team odds)
Jockey: Yuga Kawada
Trainer: Noboru Takagi
Owner: Ryotokuji Kenji Holdings Company Ltd.
Age: 6
Career record: 32-11-1-5
Career earnings: $10,427,477
Last race: Tokyo Daishoten (G1), 1st
Top Equibase speed figure: 112
Pedigree: Orfevre (Jpn)—Millefeui Attach (Jpn), by King Kamehameha (Jpn)
Color: Bay
Running Style: mid-pack/closer
Notes: He’s won a third of his career races, most of which came in non-group stakes in his native Japan. He burst onto the international racing scene with his Dubai World Cup (G1) win and garnered a ton of support for the Breeders’ Cup Classic last year, where he was fifth as the 7-2 third choice in a talented international field… he was initially a turf horse with only moderate success… has a tail-female that includes four mares from the powerful Phipps family, all of which were foaled and raised at Claiborne Farm in Paris, Kentucky… his owner, Kenji Ryotokugi, founded a university in Japan in 2006…
| 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.
