U.S horses perform well in Saudi Cup

It’s more than a little ironic that while the U.S. is the only major country to race primarily on dirt, the two most lucrative races on that surface take place on the Arabian Peninsula, in Saudi Arabia and Dubai.

Not surprisingly, U.S.-based horses performed well in Saturday’s $20 million Saudi Cup, accounting for four of the first five finishers. Maximum Security ran strongly through the lane to get up for the win, while the gallant mare Midnight Bisou motored up the rail to secure the runner-up spot. Pacesetting Mucho Gusto tired late, finishing fourth, with Tacitus not far back in fifth. McKinzie, the final American runner, was eleventh.

Maximum Security, Midnight Bisou and McKinzie reportedly are returning to the U.S, their next starts as yet undetermined. Mucho Gusto and Tacitus, who compete for Saudi Prince Faisal bin Khaled, remain in the Mid

dle East, possibly to race next in the Dubai World Cup. With the Saudi Cup situated roughly midway between January’s Pegasus World Cup – which was first run in 2017 – and Dubai World Cup (March 28), the three well-funded events have dramatically altered the early-season schedule for top Classic-division horses. The Santa Anita Handicap, which will be run for the 83rd time on Saturday, is the race most affected. With a purse of $600,000, down from a high of $1 million as recently as 2016, the Big Cap has trouble competing for elite horses with races that offer purses between five and thirty times higher.

Had they not run in the Saudi Cup, Mucho Gusto and McKinzie might have shown up for the Santa Anita Handicap. In their absence, the morning-line favorite at 6-5 is Gift Box, who won last year’s edition by a nose. The 7-year-old horse prepped for Saturday’s race with a repeat victory Dec. 28 in the San Antonio.

Other Big Cap starters of interest include the lightly raced pair of Midcourt, winner of this year’s San Pasqual, and Endorsed, impressive winner of a Gulfstream allowance on Jan. 11. Hofburg, who has yet to recapture the form that saw him finish third in the 2018 Belmont, rates a puncher’s chance in the historic 1¼mile test. Derby prep update When Dennis’ Moment finished last as the 6-5 choice in Saturday’s Fountain of Youth Stakes, it marked the seventh time in February that a graded Derby prep favorite had gone down to defeat. Other prominent 3-year-olds who failed to run to their odds included Independence Hall, a runner-up at 3-5 in the Sam F. Davis Stakes, and Anneau d’Or, who checked in ninth at evenmoney in the second division of the Risen Star.

The prep schedule resumes tomorrow with qualifying races in New York, Florida and California. A field of 11 is slated to go in the one-mile Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct, with Mischievous Alex the 3-1 morningline favorite. The Into Mischief colt, who was an easy winner of the Swale Stakes last out, is the only graded winner in the field. In Florida, Chance It, who has been in the exacta in all six starts, and Sam Davis upsetter Sole Volante are favored in the Tampa Bay Derby.

The most anticipated of Saturday’s preps is the San Felipe Stakes, which features a showdown between the well-regarded Thousand Words and reigning juvenile champ Storm the Court. Thousand Words is unbeaten in three starts, including the Los Alamitos Futurity and Robert B. Lewis Stakes, but has yet to be asked to do much. Storm the Court, fourth in the San Vicente in his 2020 opener, figures to improve in the stretch-out to 8½ furlongs.

Jeff Scott writes about horse racing most Fridays in The Saratogian. He may be reached at utahpine1@ aol.com.