BET THE SAUDI WORLD CUP

BETTING THE SAUDI CUP 101

What: Saudi Cup

When: February 22, 2025

Where: King Abdulaziz Racecourse, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

How do I bet the Saudi Cup?

You can bet it on NYRA Bets! Look for Saudi Cup in Today's Racing menu on race day.

How do I watch the Saudi Cup?

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History of the Saudi Cup

The Saudi Cup is a relatively new horse race held annually in February at the King Abdulaziz Racetrack in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Inaugurated in 2020, the Saudi Cup quickly became the richest horse race in the world, with a total purse of $20 million. It attracts some of the best horses from around the world and has already gained a reputation as one of the more prestigious races in the sport.

NYRA Bets allows users to bet on the Saudi Cup and over 300 other race tracks worldwide. With NYRA Bets, betting on the Saudi Cup is a simple and secure process. You can place your bets and watch the race live from the comfort of your own home.

To bet on the Saudi Cup with NYRA Bets, simply sign up for an account, deposit funds, and navigate to the Saudi Cup race page. From there, you can place your bets and track the results in real-time.

If you're a horse racing enthusiast looking to bet on one of the biggest and most lucrative races in the world, look no further than the Saudi Cup. And with NYRA Bets, you can do it all from your computer or mobile device.

2024 SAUDI CUP (G1) HORSE BY HORSE ANALYSIS

The Saudi Cup (G1), the richest horse race in the world with a $20 million purse. The best horses from across the world are running and NYRA Bets expert handicapper Matthew DeSantis takes a first look at the field and each of the entries to get you ready for the big race and familiarizes you with some international contenders.

Race: Saudi Cup (G1)
Distance: 1 1/8 miles (nine furlongs) and a one-turn configuration
Post time: 12:40 PM ET

#1 White Abarrio (3/1)
Trainer: Rick Dutrow Jr.
Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr.
Overview: The winner of the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1), White Abarrio has experienced a sensational turnaround since going to trainer Rick Dutrow Jr. The horse that used to never be able to win outside of Florida turned in dazzling efforts at Saratoga in the Whitney (G1) before winning the biggest race in North America at Santa Anita last time out. He has a natural tracking style, which will be tested in this race due to the amount of early speed signed on to his outside. Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. is in the conversation for the best jockey in the world and will have to show it carving out the right trip for him from the inside rail. Distance will not be an issue for this horse who got the 1 ¼ mile distance last time out.

#2 Isolate (12/1)
Trainer: Doug Watson
Jockey: Joel Rosario
Overview: The former Tom Amoss-trainee, Isolate was a nice allowance-level and listed stakes-level horse in the United States from 2021-22. He won half his career races before transferring over to Doug Watson and running in Meydan. While in the Middle East, he has won consecutive Grade 2 races and is in good form. He is amazingly 14-16 finishing in the money during his career, but large stretches of that were against lesser competition than what he will face on Saturday. This will be a significant step up and stretch out as he won the last two races going a mile. Whether he can push through at a longer distance against tougher company is a big question and at modest 20/1 odds, I would rather take a shot with a horse like Senor Buscador who has comparable betting value.

#3 Lemon Pop (6/1)
Trainer: Hiroyasu Tanaka
Jockey: Ryusei Sakai
Overview: The son of Lemon Drop Kid has come quite the dominant horse in Japan having finished in the exacta in 13-14 career races with his lone poor effort being in Meydan last year in the Dubai Golden Shaheen (G1) where is finished tenth. He bounced back later in the season with wins at the Mile Championship at Morioka and the Champions Cup (G1) at Chukyo where he beat solid competition in Wilson Tesoro, Dura Erede, and T O Keynes. He is another speedster who is stretching out and might be the speed of the speed in the field. Japan won this race last year in gate-to-wire fashion with Panthalassa. However, at a short price there are questions for Lemon Pop to answer in terms of winning outside of Japan and being able to sustain an aggressive pace at nine furlongs.

#4 Senor Buscador (12/1)
Trainer: Todd Fincher
Jockey: Junior Alvarado
Overview: The late-running son of Mineshaft is an intriguing price in this race. While he has only won twice in his last 11 starts, he does own a Grade 2 victory at the San Diego Handicap and has shown good recent form with a pair of second place finishes at the Cigar Mile (G2) and the Pegasus World Cup (G1). The more speed, the better for this horse who will make his run and could prefer a one-turn configuration. Jockey Junior Alvarado will take back and must navigate traffic going around the far turn before turning for home. A wide trip could doom his upset chances, but if there is enough pace and he can find a ground-saving trip from the back, he makes sense as an upset shot.

#5 Saudi Crown (10/1)
Trainer: Brad Cox
Jockey: Florent Geroux
Overview: A one-turn nine-furlong race could be the ideal setup for this son of Always Dreaming. He showed that going the 1 ¼ mile was too long at the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) but bounced back nicely demolishing an overmatched field in the Louisiana Stakes (G3) as a prep for this race. His biggest issue will be whether he can sustain a fast pace or whether jockey Florent Geroux can get him to rate off the pace. The one-turn configuration makes it less of an immediate concern to get to the front as horses can spread out on the track and not worry about facing kickback from the horses in front of them. However, nine furlongs is probably his maximum distance and while the track tends to hold up early speed, it might be a tall task.

#6 Crown Pride (20/1)
Trainer: Koichi Shintani
Jockey: Joao Moreira
Overview: Perhaps best known to American audiences as going one of the two main pacesetters in the 2022 Kentucky Derby, Crown Pride’s strong early fractions opened the door for the amazing win by Rich Strike that year. He has run well since that effort at Churchill Downs and is Grade 1-placed. However, he does not win that often as evidenced by four second place finishes in his last eight races. He did get the job done at the Korea Cup (G3), which was a class drop for a horse that had been running exclusively in Grade 1 events. He came back to be an “also ran” in the Champions Cup (G1) where he was no match for Lemon Pop. Worth mentioning that his regular jockey, Yuga Kawada, has opted to ride Ushba Tesoro in this race. Crown Pride will be part of the pace early, but feels unlikely to be a part of the finish.

#7 National Treasure (8/1)
Trainer: Bob Baffert
Jockey: Flavien Prat
Overview: The 2-time Grade 1 winner is fresh off a victory at the Pegasus World Cup (G1) where he sat right off very strong early fractions and still had enough left to put away the field going 1 1/8 miles. He typically is a horse who does his best running up front and is not known for passing many other horses. Due to him not being on the Kentucky Derby trail last year, many people dismissed him leading up to the Preakness (G1) where he was able to control the fractions and pull off the gate-to-wire victory. Trainer Bob Baffert has a history of success taking horses over to race in the Middle East and nearly won last year with Country Grammer. It is worth pointing out the Pegasus and Preakness fields were not particularly strong, but in between National Treasure gave 2023 Horse of the Year, Cody’s Wish, all he could handle in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile.

#8 Hoist the Gold (30/1)
Trainer: Dallas Stewart
Jockey: John Velazquez
Overview: Another son of Mineshaft, Hoist the Gold went from being a horse that always came up short in the big spot in sprints to winning the Cigar Mile (G2) with a career-best effort. He set the fast early fractions last time out in the Pegasus World Cup (G1) but proved no match for National Treasure and Senor Buscador at this distance. In a race with loads of speed, it is hard to get too excited about his chances given that he folded under the pace last time out. Jockey John Velaquez is as good of a rider with speed horses as there is and was one of the few who was confident Hoist the Gold could get a mile. Whether he can get longer is a bigger question.

#9 Defunded (12/1)
Trainer: Abdulaziz Khalid
Jockey: Luis Saez
Overview: The former Bob Baffert horse was recently transferred to Middle East interests following his second-place effort in the Awesome Again (G1) where he bested fellow Saudi Cup runner Senor Buscador. Remains to be seen how the son of Dialed In will adjust to his new surroundings and trainer, but he always felt like a slightly underrated horse given he was a 2-time Grade 1 winner. While he is a horse that likes to be near the lead, he can also effectively come from off the pace like when he won the Californian Stakes (G2) back in April 2023 when sitting in last place. Jockey Luis Saez is one of the strongest jockeys in the world and is experienced riding horses in the Middle East. At a decent price, Defunded might just be worth a shot if he can sit off the early pace and take advantage of the beleaguered frontrunners in the stretch.

#10 Power in Numbers (20/1)
Trainer: Ahmed Mohamoud
Jockey: Adel Al Fouraidi
Overview: A former Chad Brown horse who won his first race in a maiden claimer at Aqueduct is now on center stage for the world in a Grade 1. Despite his humble start, he developed into a nice horse for Brown winning three straight including a stakes race at Monmouth Park before being transferred to Saudi connection. Since racing at King Abdulazez Racecourse, he is a perfect 5-5 including three stakes victories. In his last victory in the Two Holy Mosques Cup, he had a good trip up front and saving ground around the turn. He showed a ton of grit fighting back on the inside once he was headed in order to win. However, the waters get much deeper now for the son of Girvin.

#11 Ushba Tesoro (4/1)
Trainer: Noburu Takagi
Jockey: Yuga Kawada
Overview: One of the more amazing stories coming out of Japan, Ushba Tesoro was an above average turf horse until he was nearly six years old when was switched to dirt and became a monster. He peeled off six straight victories leading up to Novembers Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) including the Dubai World Cup (G1). He finished fifth at Santa Anita behind fellow runners White Abarrio and Derma Sotogake, but returned to Japan and looked sharp taking the Tokyo Daishoten (G1). Unlike most of the field, Ushba Tesoro likes to come from off the pace and could get the ideal setup given the projected hot pace. Jockey Yuga Kawada is one of the best and if he can help the son of Orfevre get the right trip from the back, he and Senor Buscador should both be running late.

#12 Meisho Hario - SCRATCHED
Trainer: Inao Okada
Jockey: Suguru Hamanaka

#13 Derma Sotogake (6/1)
Trainer: Hidetaka Otonashi
Jockey: Christophe Lemaire
Overview: The mercurial son of Mind Your Biscuits is a fan favorite because of his childish (some might say immature) personality, but once he is on the track, he is all business. He flashed onto the world stage last year when he dominated the UAE Derby (G1) after finishing third in the Saudi Derby (G3). He then arrived in Louisville, Kentucky where he went off as the third choice in the Kentucky Derby (G1). He finished sixth that day but had a terrible start where he nearly unseated jockey Christophe Lemaire. Due to a minor injury sustained while training in Japan, he did not run again until he shipped back over to race in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) where he was a surprise second to White Abarrio. He can win in a variety of ways having wired the field at the UAE Derby but shown the capacity to come from off the pace in several of his races in Japan. He continues to attract superstar jockey Christophe Lemaire and if he can work out the right trip from the outside post, he has a real chance to win based on his talent. Note that he injured his eye on the flight over from Japan, but all accounts are that he is fine, and it is not impacting his training.

#14 Carmel Road (20/1)
Trainer: Abdullah Albadah
Jockey: Camilo Ospina
Overview: The son of Quality Road was briefly on the Kentucky Derby Trail last year where he finished second in the Los Alamitos Futurity (G2) before fading to eighth in the Gotham (G3). Shortly after the race he was transferred to Saudi connections and has run twice over the local track collecting a win last time out in the King Faisal Cup. While he is a bit of an unknown, he has outstanding pedigree for the distance as his sire Quality Road is one of the most versatile out there and he is out of an Unbridled’s Song mare. He is another horse who likes to traditionally be up on the lead and while the outside post position is typically a problem going this distance in the United States, over at King Abdulaziz Racecourse, the one-turn configuration for a nine-furlong race will allow him to work over throughout the backstretch before getting to the sweeping far turn.

AE Scotland Yard (40/1)
Trainer: Moutaib Almulawah
Jockey: TBD
Overview: With the scratch of Meisho Hario, another son of Quality Road draw into the race. He ran in the Saudi Cup last year and finished 13th despite coming in on a three-race win streak over the local course. He took nearly ten months off after that race and came back with an allowance win but has failed to recapture his form from last year as he finished sixth in the King Faisal Cup and then was out dueled by Power in Numbers in the Two Holy Mosques Cup. The effort in that last race is concerning since he had every opportunity to get by on the outside and looked like he had gotten a head in front, but then let up and Power in Numbers was able to get by on the inside. Breaking from the far outside post and finishing far back last year, it is hard to see him launching an upset bid a year later when he is not in as good of form while facing a tougher field.

2024 SAUDI CUP (G1) PICKS & BETTING ANALYSIS

Overview: The 2024 Saudi Cup (G1) is the best collection of older dirt distance horses in the world. You have legitimate threats from the United States, Japan, and the Middle East in a start-studded 14-horse field. Read my full-field analysis for thoughts on each of Saturday’s runners.

Pace: This will be a wild race with the following horses wanting to get to the lead: Lemon Pop, Saudi Crown, Crown Pride, National Treasure, Hoist the Gold. Additionally, local runners Power in Numbers, Scotland Yard, and Carmel Road may also all want to be on the lead. This does not even get to the horses that like to track the pace like Derma Sotogake and White Abarrio. The only true closers in the race at Ushba Tesoro and Senor Buscador. It will be fast up front and since they do not need to deal with two turns, expect the fractions to resemble a one-turn mile rather than a traditional two-turn 1 1/8-mile race.

Post Position vs. Entry Number: Throughout most of the rest of the world there is a discrepancy between the entry number and post position. Entry numbers are assigned alphabetically and then stall positions are drawn separately. As a result, I will be using their ENTRY NUMBER in the information below but will make sure to include their post draw number as well.

Picks: 4-13-14-12

#4 Derma Sotogake (6/1) – Post 13: One of the quirkier horses in training, Derma Sotogake has a big personality, but also has loads of talent as evidenced by his UAE Derby (G1) domination last year and his amazing runner-up finish in November’s Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) which was his first race since the Kentucky Derby (G1) in May. He has a natural tracking running style, which should suit him nicely on Saturday as there will be an overwhelming amount of speed in front of him, but he will keep the leaders within reach before making his move in the stretch. International superstar jockey Christophe Lemaire takes the mount again for this son of Mind Your Biscuits. Considering he ran as well as he did at 10 furlongs off the bench, he should be fresher for this race, and we know he can travel well to the Middle East. He finished third over this track last year in the Saudi Derby, but that race was only at a mile and the extra furlong will make the difference on Saturday. From a betting standpoint, there is a cutoff point at which point he becomes unplayable. I love his morning line value and will be thrilled if he goes off at that price. I would hate to take less than 4/1 on his chances though, so keep that in mind when you’re wagering. Finally, it is worth noting that he sustained a minor eye injury in transport from Japan apparently while getting in a fight with enough horse. Like I said, he’s quirky. However, he appears to be no worse for wear.

#13 Ushba Tesoro (4/1) – Post 11: The seven-year-old became a new horse when he switched from turf to dirt late in 2022. He reeled off six consecutive wins over the surface including last year’s Dubai World Cup (G1) before finishing fifth in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1). Unlike Derma Sotogake, he ran a prep race prior to traveling to Riyadh as he took down the Tokyo Daishoten (G1) over a nice field which included Wilson Tesoro and last year’s UAE Derby (G1) runner-up Dura Erede. He is one of the few horses that closes from off the pace and will likely be sitting toward the back of the field early. From a betting standpoint, there is a scenario in which Derma Sotogake takes more money and suddenly Ushba Tesoro is at 6/1 and the two have essentially swapped positions. If that were to happen then he becomes much more appealing to use as a win bet. Top Japanese jockey Yuga Kawada travels to ride him and the race sets up beautifully for him if he can work out a trip. Considering he is comfortable going 10 furlongs, he should be able to work out the right trip even if Kawada needs to go wide, but obviously will not want to give up significant ground to his competitors. The key for all these horses coming from off the pace will be picking the right horse to get behind and timing the correct moment to angle out. I would imagine a fair number of frontrunners will start backing up at the top of the stretch and if you pick wrong, you could get boxed in while others get the perfect trip.

#14 White Abarrio (3/1) – Post 1: Your reigning Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) champion, White Abarrio has become a different horse under the guidance and training of Rick Dutrow Jr. Throughout most of White Abarrio’s career he was viewed as a good horse who could not win outside of Florida. Dutrow Jr. put an end to that when he romped home over Zandon and 2023 Horse of the Year, Cody’s Wish, in the Whitney (G1) before taking the Classic. Like his rival Derma Sotogake, he has a natural tracking style that works beautifully for this race. His biggest issue will be the post draw and breaking from the inside position. He does not want to get sucked into the early pace but will likely have to concede some positioning early to save ground. Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. is one of the best in the world and will need to work out the right trip without getting caught up in traffic or getting boxed in around the turn. Nobody is better than Ortiz Jr. at making his way out of a tight situation, especially if he knows he has the horse underneath him. White Abarrio can more than handle the distance, though it is worth noting that his career turnaround started when he got back to one-turn racing before stretching back out to routes. From a betting perspective, it is hard to get too excited about a morning line favorite in a deep 14-horse Grade 1 field. However, as mentioned above, if the Japanese horses start taking a lot of action and you can get White Abarrio as the second or marginal third choice then he becomes a horse to play considering the trip and back class.

#12 Senor Buscador (12/1) – Post 4: I considered using any number of frontrunners in this fourth spot, but it is hard to land on any of them. Saudi Crown is super talented but outside of his maiden breaker, has never won off the lead and I think nine furlongs is his maximum distance. Lemon Pop is a darling in Japan, but also had distance questions and turned in a poor effort last year in the Dubai Golden Shaheen (G1) the only other time he shipped out of his home country so at a shorter price, he is not as appealing to me. National Treasure is a horse whose estimation has grown over the last year after winning the Preakness (G1), nearly upsetting Cody’s Wish in the Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1), and then winning the Pegasus World Cup (G1). However, this could be a tough situation for him since he is not as fast as a couple of other horses here and has never shown the ability to handle a true tracking trip. As a result, I went to another horse that should trip out in the form of Senor Buscador. Yes, he finishes second a lot, but I am not picking him to win. From a betting perspective, he would need to be 20/1 or higher for me to be interested in using him as a win bet, but he still provides value underneath at his morning line price. He should be a valuable horse to use underneath as he loves closing into hot fractions and of any horse in the race, he might most prefer this usual one-turn nine-furlong setup. He loves the distance, but the pace dynamic is more important, and a one-turn race will nearly always bring about stronger early fractions since the horses do not have to contender with the initial turn to slow their momentum and speed. He nearly beat National Treasure last time out in the Pegasus World Cup (G1) and there should be just as much, if not more, pace on Saturday. Look for him to be running late and get up for your deeper vertical wagers.

Strategy: It is a difficult race to handicap due to the unique configuration of the track. Typically, a nine-furlong race is around two turns, which makes it more challenging for horses breaking from the outside gate. However, the one-turn 1 1/8-mile setup on Saturday will allow horses to slowly work their way over to the rail before going into the wide sweeping far turn. It also makes the pace scenario more complicated since horses that “need the lead” or who like to be forward can spread out enough across the track that essentially a wall of six or seven horses could all up front while facing no kickback. The track in Riyadh can hold up front end speed. Still, expect a blistering pace as half the field likes to be forward.