Saudi Cup

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES -- To coin a phrase uttered by the actor John Houseman from the Smith Barney television commercials of the mid-1980s, Senor Buscador (Mineshaft) has really 'earrrrrned it' as he approaches his second straight appearance in an eight-figure horse race, Saturday's $12-million G1 Dubai World Cup at Meydan Racecourse. "Yeah. I mean, it's been pretty crazy," admits owner and breeder Joey Peacock, Jr. Peacock, a resident of San Antonio, and his family have been in the horse business for the better part of 5 1/2 decades, but...

By now we're long familiar with the key transition that sealed the hegemony of Into Mischief. The moment of "Authentication" came in 2020, with a Horse of the Year from the first book of mares the Spendthrift phenomenon had covered even at $45,000; while the next crop, conceived at $75,000, produced a second consecutive GI Kentucky Derby winner in Mandaloun. While the latter was indebted to the disqualification of the winner, the fact remains that he managed to outstay the other 17 starters. In the process, he confirmed that Into...

Trainer Brad Cox confirmed that FMQ Stables' Saudi Crown (Always Dreaming), a brave third in the G1 Saudi Cup after setting bruising fractions up front, has shipped to Dubai and has settled in at Meydan Raceourse. The $45,000 Keeneland January short-yearling turned $240,000 OBS April breezer holds an entry for the G1 Dubai World Cup, where he would face a rematch with the two horses that finished ahead of him last weekend--Senor Buscador (Mineshaft) and Ushba Tesoro (Jpn) (Orfevre {Jpn}). But Cox aid that the tentatively target is the Mar....

The team at the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company does everything it can to run a clean sale. Under OBS's conditions of sale, no medication may be administered within 24 hours of a horse's under-tack performance, 10 to 15% of the horses who are going to sell are tested, and in 2019, OBS prohibited the use of bronchodilators like Clenbuterol at all of its sales. It may not be enough. The Jeffrey Englehart story has suggested that may be the case. Englehart bought a Classic Empire colt at the OBS auction...

A passion that was held against him by some, 20 years ago, has given Sir Alex Ferguson a new universe of pleasure. They say there are no second acts in the lives of the famous - but you would have disputed that after seeing the former Manchester United manager's Spirit Dancer (GB) win the Howden Neom Turf Cup in Riyadh on Saturday night. Ferguson's greatest thrill as a manager was to spot and develop young talent. David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and the Neville brothers were products of Ferguson's...

After running home bravely to just miss reeling in National Treasure (Quality Road) in last month's $3-million GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational S., it did not take long for the human braintrust around Senor Buscador (Mineshaft) to accept an invitation to the world's richest race, the $20-million G1 Saudi Cup half a world away. And why not? The 6-year-old admittedly had a bit to find on form with each of his four fellow American participants, but it wasn't as if he'd been dreadful in defeat in those efforts. Not when...

In the previous four runnings of the $20-million G1 Saudi Cup, American-based horses have--surprisingly--passed the post in first on a single occasion while finishing second on each occasion. That 'victory' came in the much-discussed inaugural running in 2020, a result that seems likely to soon be overturned, albeit to the benefit of another American horse. So, even though the U.S. is the epicenter of world dirt racing, its five representatives this year arguably still have something to prove when a field of 14 loads the gate around 12:40 p.m. ET...

Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has long been a racehorse owner but he has also become immersed in the breeding world since his retirement from football. On Saturday, his homebred Spirit Dancer (GB) (Frankel {GB}), who Ferguson races in partnership with Ged Mason and Peter Done, lines up in the $2-million G2 Howden Neom Turf Cup on the Saudi Cup undercard. The seven-year-old, trained by Richard Fahey, has been wintering in the Middle East, where he won the G2 Bahrain International Trophy in November before finishing fourth in...

In Saturday's $20-million Saudi Cup, two-time Grade I winner Defunded (Dialed In) will be running for more than his owner, Dr. Muhaideb Al Muhaideb's HDB Racing. Should the horse win the Saudi Cup, the owner will give away 2 million Saudi Riyals to fans who follow him on the X site @muhadb1. Two million Riyals is worth US$533,000. The money will be divided among four winners. If Defunded doesn't win but a Saudi-based horse does, Dr. Muhaideb will give away two Lexus SUV to his followers. If a horse without...

Joel Rosario has picked up the ride on RRR Racing's Isolate (Mark Valeski) for Saturday's $20-million G1 Saudi Cup at King Abdulaziz Racecourse, his agent Ron Anderson confirmed in a text message Monday. The 6-year-old Isolate made the first 12 starts of his career in the U.S. for Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, winning two from his first five for trainer Kathy Ritvo before joining the barn of Tom Amoss. The Florida-bred posted four victories from seven outings for that barn, winning the Work All Week S. at Hawthorne and the Tale...

Equine MediRecord's software platform will be used for all equine participants during the upcoming two-day Saudi Cup festival. An Arabic version of the Equine MediRecord platform to assist local trainers and veterinarians will also be available to help clear the Saudi-based horses through the festival's equine welfare protocols. The software platform allows for the full veterinary history of each horse to be recorded securely, supporting horse welfare as well as aiding with anti-doping procedures. The new system EMR, developed for the 2023 Saudi Cup, will automatically inform trainers from across...

Trainer Kieran Cotter says that he is optimistic his stable star Matilda Picotte (Ire), a filly he has continuously turned down big-money offers for, will put her best foot forward in the valuable Group 2 Saudi National Bank 1351 Turf Sprint on February 24. The daughter of Sioux Nation developed into a high-class three-year-old last season, finishing third in the G1 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket before landing the G3 Sceptre S. and G2 Challenge S. in the autumn. The 1351 Turf Sprint will be the filly's first start of the...