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Earls Rock Shortens Up, Wins Baffle Stakes At Santa Anita

A lights-out maiden winner going a flat mile on turf in his U.S. debut Jan. 9, Irish-bred Earls Rock cut back in distance and further enhanced his status as an up-and-coming star with an impressive three-quarter length tally in Friday's $75,000 Baffle Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif. Trained by Phil D'Amato and ridden by Flavien Prat, Earls Rock rallied from off the pace to cover 6 ½ furlongs on turf in 1:16.15.

Breaking from his number two post position in a field of nine sophomores, Earls Rock was an unhurried sixth, about six lengths off speedy Mac Daddy Too heading into the far turn. Midway around the turn, Prat began to make up ground and split horses turning for home, just to the outside of the pacesetter.

Although eventual runner-up Beer Can Man loomed ominously three-deep, Earls Rock was up to the challenge in the final furlong and won going away in a manner that suggests he's a colt of considerable quality.

“The distance was a bit of a question mark, it was a little short for him,” said Prat, who was also aboard for the one mile maiden win. “But he relaxed well behind horses and when I asked him to go, he really cut.”

Second in his career debut Sept. 4 in Ireland, Earls Rock was off as the 4-5 favorite and paid $3.80, $3.00 and $2.60.

“This is about as short as he wants,” said D'Amato. “The jock rode a tremendous race. He was very patient and the way he split horses, it made all the difference.”

Owned by Anthony Fanticola, Earls Rock, who is by Fascinating Rock, out of Ajaadat, by Shamardal, is now two for three and with the winner's share of $49,320, more than doubled his earnings to $91,099.

Ridden by Juan Hernandez and trained by Mark Glatt, Beer Can Man, who was attentive to the pace throughout, finished 3 ¼ lengths in front of Mac Daddy Too. Off at 6-1, Beer Can Man paid $5.00 and $3.60.

Ridden by Abel Cedillo, Mac Daddy Too was off at 26-1 and paid $5.40 to show.

Fractions on the race were 23.06, 45.77 and 1:10.12.

The Baffle win gave Prat a triple on the day, while D'Amato collected his second win.

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Likely Saudi Cup Day Fields Include 77 Contenders From Overseas

The likely runners for the two-day Saudi Cup meeting on February 19-20 have been announced, with 15 individual Group or Grade 1 winners set to line up.

In total, the King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh will host 77 overseas contenders representing 13 different countries from around the world who between them have won 24 Group or Grade 1 contests.

The highlight of the meeting is the $20 million Saudi Cup, and the second staging of the world's most valuable race looks set to feature another crop of star names.

The field could be headed by Brad Cox's Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile and Pegasus World Cup winner Knicks Go (USA), who is part of a strong American contingent which includes Grade 1 Malibu Stakes winner Charlatan (USA) and Tacitus (USA), returning for a second tilt at the race and owned by Juddmonte Farms.

Ryuji Okubo's impressive Grade 1 Champions Cup winner Chuwa Wizard (JPN) represents Japan, while John Gosden is likely to saddle Mishriff (IRE) who was second in the Al Rajhi Bank Saudi Derby at this meeting 12 months ago.

A host of other top-class horses look likely to take their spots in Riyadh, with Freddy Head's four-time Group 1 winner Call The Wind (GB) seeking back-to-back victories in the $2.5m Red Sea Turf Handicap, alongside last year's third Prince Of Arran (GB), trained by Charlie Fellowes.

Both the 1200m $1.5m SAUDIA Riyadh Dirt Sprint and $1m stc 1351 Turf Sprint have also attracted a host of well-regarded types.

Group 1 July Cup winner Oxted (UK), trained in the UK by Roger Teal, looks all set to run in the SAUDIA Riyadh Dirt Sprint, where he could take on Yoshito Yahagi's Justin (JPN) – the earner of an automatic spot in the race after winning the Grade 3 Capella Stakes in December.

The stc 1351 Turf Sprint is another race that has attracted a strong field, with last year's winner Dark Power (IRE), trained in Bahrain by Allan Smith, back to defend his crown. He'll face a strong challenge again this time around with Charlie Appleby's Space Blues (IRE), the winner of his last four races, including most recently in the Group 1 Prix Maurice de Gheest, as well as Joseph O'Brien's Speak In Colours (GB) both expected to line up.

Bill Mott's Channel Maker (CAN), last seen finishing third to Tarnawa in the Breeders' Cup Turf, is the likely star name in the 2100m $1m Neom Turf Cup, a field which also includes Gronkowski (USA), now trained by Abdulaziz Khalid in Saudi Arabia.

The Purebred Arabian runners in the 2000m $2m Obaiya Arabian Classic are headlined by the Group 1-winning Messi (BEL), trained by Timo Keersmaekers in Belgium, who will clash with last year's winner Tallaab Al Khalediah (KSA), trained locally by Mutlaq Bin Mushref.

This year's Saudi Cup meeting also sees the addition of a new race, the $500k Al Rajhi Bank International Handicap, which is specifically aimed at horses trained in IFHA Part II or Part III countries, and is run on Friday 19 February on stc International Jockeys' Challenge day.

There are horses entered from six different countries, including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Spain, the Czech Republic and Greece.

Tom Ryan, Director of Strategy and International Racing for the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia, said:

“We were very excited when we saw the entry list for the second staging of The Saudi Cup and now we know the likely fields, we really are delighted.

“A battle between the likes of Knicks Go, Charlatan, Mishriff and Chuwa Wizard in The Saudi Cup would be a huge thrill, while the strength and quality of all the other races has really stood up.

“The entire team are working incredibly hard to deliver a world class event where the health and safety of all participants is paramount. It has obviously been an difficult year for everyone and we are glad that we are able to put on this meeting for racing fans all over the world to enjoy.”

For a list of where you can watch the Saudi Cup from home, please visit www.thesaudicup.com.sa and click “Where to watch”.

Download possible runners and past performances: https://thesaudicup.com.sa/page/Races

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2021 Sam F. Davis Stakes at a Glance

There are two roads leading out of Florida that culminate in Louisville, home of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve. There’s one that starts in Hallandale Beach at Gulfstream Park, while the curtain will rise on a second path Saturday with the Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs in Tampa.

February 27: The Fountain of Youth Stakes

The Fountain of Youth Stakes is a horse race held annually for 3-year-olds scheduled this year for Feb. 27. It follows January’s Pegasus World Cup as one of the major racing events on the Gulfstream Park stakes calendar and represents a key stop on the Triple Crown trail.