$20 Million Saudi Cup Contender: LEMON POP

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.

LEMON POP

From the beginning, Japan-based Lemon Pop excelled in shorter races despite a pedigree that screams distance. The Kentucky-bred son of Belmont Stakes winner Lemon Drop Kid out of a mare by 10-furlong superstar Giant’s Causeway ran first or second in 12 of his first 13 starts, all at 8 furlongs or less.

When trainer Hiroyasu Tanaka decided to stretch him out last December, he couldn’t have found a much tougher spot for his sprinter-miler. Not only was Lemon Pop trying 1 1/8 miles for the first time in the Group 1 Champions Cup, he drew the outside post in an outstanding field of 15. No horse outside post 12 had even finished in the first three in that race in the past decade. But the bettors believed in Lemon Pop, making him the 7-2 favorite, and they were right.

From Chukyo to Champion: Lemon Pop’s Unstoppable Journey

Lemon Pop popped out of the gate, quickly took the lead, and held it all the way at Chukyo Racecourse, cruising by 1¼ lengths after setting a leisurely pace. “He was really strong,” jockey Ryusei Sakai said. “That’s all I can say. I’m really looking forward to his other races.”

He’s only the fourth horse ever to win both of Japan’s Group 1 dirt races, the February Stakes and the Champions Cup. The rare double made the Godolphin-owned Lemon Pop the champion Japanese dirt horse of 2023 and earned him a shot in the world’s richest race. His connections are hopeful but not overconfident.

“There’s going to be plenty of competition there,” Godolphin Japan president Harry Sweeney told tdn.com. “The nine furlongs will test him because we’re not absolutely sure that’s his best distance.”

2024 Saudi Cup Contender Odds and Post Position: Lemon Pop

Betting advice: With speedy Saudi Crown and National Treasure in the race, don’t expect Lemon Pop to set an uncontested, moderate pace. Verdict: Odds will be generous, so he’s worth a stab.

Post position: 3

Odds: 15-1

Jockey: Ryusei Sakai

Trainer: Hiroyasu Tanaka

Owner: Godolphin

Age: 6

Career record: 14-10-3-0

Career earnings: $3,543,574

Last race: Champions Cup, Dec. 3, (1^st)

Top Equibase speed figure: NA

Pedigree: Lemon Drop Kid-Unreachable, by Giant’s Causeway

Color: Chestnut

Running style: Frontrunner

Notes: Lemon Pop, a lightly raced 6-year-old, has made only 14 starts because minor injuries restricted him to three races until he turned 4 … His name comes from a Japanese beverage called “Lemon Squash” … Godolphin paid $70,000 for him as a weanling at a November 2018 Keeneland sale … “The trainer always believed this horse was a sprinter,” Sweeney said. “We had to kind of lean on him to even run in the (mile) February Stakes.”