By Alan Carasso
RIYADH, KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA — Forever Young (Jpn) (Real Steel {Jpn}), a Group 1 winner at the back end of 2024 in the Tokyo Daishoten and third in the GI Kentucky Derby and GI Breeders' Cup Classic, will jump from the widest alley in barrier 14 for Saturday's G1 Saudi Cup at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh. Post positions were drawn Wednesday evening at the racecourse.
Also victorious in a thrilling renewal of the G3 Saudi Derby on this program 12 months ago, the 4-year-old colt will once again have the services of Ryusei Sakai for trainer Yoshito Yahagi, who said: “I prefer the outside to the inside,” after selecting the widest gate.
Katie McDonald (ex Mallyon) was assigned the somewhat unenviable task of pulling the post position for Hong Kong Horse of the Year Romantic Warrior (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) and by all accounts, she performed well after electing the three hole. Her husband James McDonald rides the last-out G1 Jebel Hatta hero for trainer Danny Shum.
“We're happy with it,” James McDonald said of the draw. “We didn't come here with any expectation of a particular draw. He seems to be going really well on the dirt, all the team are very happy with him and my horse has really good gate speed.”
American representative Rattle N Roll (Connect) will begin his Saudi Cup bid from barrier eight with Joel Rosario calling the shots for trainer Ken McPeek. The 6-year-old earned his Saudi Cup ticket courtesy of a victory in the G3 Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup a month back.
“We like the seven, that's great,” said the Kentucky Derby and Oaks-winning trainer, who was flanked by Saudi co-owner Sharaf Mohamed Alhairi. “He's got come-from-behind pace, we're excited to have the horse here and we feel like we've a bit of an advantage because he won here already.”
Facteur Cheval (Ire) (Ribchester {Ire}), a latest third to Walk of Stars (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) when trying dirt for the first time in the G1 Al Maktoum Challenge at Meydan last month, has gate 12. Mickael Barzalona has the mount for Jerome Reynier. Walk of Stars, representing Dubai World Cup-winning conditioner Bhupat Seemar, has the six with Tadhg O'Shea up.
At the outset of the draw ceremony, Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute) was officially recognized as the winner of the inaugural running of the Saudi Cup in 2020. Last year, the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia officially disqualified first-past-the-post Maximum Security owing to the conviction of trainer Jason Servis for his use of prohibited substances in many of his horses.
The draws for Saturday's five other group-level contests took place on Tuesday. The G2 Red Sea Turf Handicap is the afternoon's second-richest event at $2.5 million and has lured a field of 11, led by the consistent Al Nayyir (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), fourth to Tower of London (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in this event last year and subsequently winner of the Listed Rose Bowl Stakes at Newmarket. The 136-pound top weight gives his rivals up to 15 pounds, but is drawn well in four.
Forever Young's commonly owned stablemate Shin Emperor (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) is the one to beat in the G2 Neom Turf Cup (2100mT). Also the mount of Sakai, the sales-topping full-brother to Arc winner Sottsass (Fr) departs barrier three.
Remake (Jpn) (Lani) is one of four of last year's winners bidding for a second straight score in Saudi, having rallied strongly to take out the G2 Riyadh Dirt Sprint. The North Hills runner is drawn four, while his chief competition on paper–champion US sprinter Straight No Chaser (Speightster)–is farther out in the nine hole.
Annaf (Ire) (Muhaarar {GB}) defends his title in the G2 1351 Turf Sprint from the two, while the G3 Saudi Derby pits Dubai-based G3 UAE 2000 Guineas winner Golden Vekoma (Vekoma, gate one) against undefeated Japanese filly Myriad Love (Jpn) (New Year's Day), who will jump from the two.
Saturday, King Abdulaziz Racecourse (Riyadh), Saudi Arabia
SAUDI CUP-G1, $20,000,000, NH/SH4yo/up, 1800m
SC (PP), HORSE (SIRE), JOCKEY, TRAINER
1 (10), Al Musmak (Ire) (Night of Thunder {Ire}), Aldaham, Aldaihani
2 (11), Defunded (Dialed In), Fresu, Meshref
3 (13), El Kodigo (Arg) (Equal Stripes {Arg}), Calvente, Meshref
4 (12), Facteur Cheval (Ire) (Ribchester {Ire}), Barzalona, Reynier
5 (14), Forever Young (Jpn) (Real Steel {Jpn}), Sakai, Yahagi
6 (2), Intense For Me (Arg) (Fortify), Ospina, Meshref
7 (9), Ramjet (Jpn) (Majestic Warrior), Miura, Sasaki
8 (7), Rattle N Roll (Connect), Rosario, McPeek
9 (3), Romantic Warrior (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}), McDonald, Shum
10 (1), Ushba Tesoro (Jpn) (Orfevre {Jpn}), Sugawara, Takagi
11 (8), Wait To Excel (GB) (Postponed), Alfouraidi, Aldaihani
12 (6), Walk of Stars (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), O'Shea, Seemar
13 (4), Wilson Tesoro (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}), Kawada, Takagi
14 (5), Wootton'sun (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), Ferreira, Al Kahtani
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