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Juddmonte-Bred Derevo Takes King’s Cup In Saudi Debut

The silks of the late Prince Khalid Abdullah's Juddmonte Farms were already set to be carried aboard US raider Tacitus (Tapit) in the $20-million Saudi Cup (1800m, dirt) Feb. 20, and the breeding operation will also be represented by Derevo (GB) (Dansili {GB}), after the former Sir Michael Stoute galloper arrived in the nick of time to take out the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup (2000m, dirt) Saturday at King Abdulaziz Racetrack in Riyadh. The 340,000gns Tattersalls Autumn Horses In Training acquisition just touched off the commonly owned multiple Chilean Group 1 winner Cariblanco (Chi) (Awesome Patriot) with fellow TATAUT purchase Making Miracles (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) third.

Drawn in the auxiliary gate in 15, Derevo traveled well off the inside and better than midfield on the long backstretch run. Into a clear fifth for the run around the bend, he was switched out in the straight and required every bit of the final 400 metres to be along in time.

Derevo won his maiden at second asking at Chelmsford in 2019 and added victories on the turf at Pontefract and a Newcastle handicap over 2400 metres of that all-weather surface later that summer. On behalf of Najd Stud, Voute Sales signed for Derevo at Tattersalls last October. The winner's dam produced a Kodiac (GB) filly for Juddmonte in 2020.

WATCH: Derevo (#1, red cap, far left) gets up on the wire in the King's Cup

Saturday's Results:
CUSTODIAN OF THE TWO HOLY MOSQUES CUP (King's Cup) (NBT), SAR1,000,000 (£194,569/€219,734/US$266,667), King Abdulaziz, 1-30, 4yo/up, 2000m, 2:04.15, ft.
1–DEREVO (GB), 127, g, 5, Dansili (GB)–Pavlosk (SW-Eng), by
Arch. (340,000gns HRA '20 TATAUT). O-Prince Faisal Bin
Khaled Bin Abdulaziz; B-Juddmonte Farms Ltd; T-A M Al
Khatani; J-A Alwafi; SAR500,00. Lifetime Record: 12-4-2-1,
$176,019.
2–Cariblanco (Chi), 127, h, 5, Awesome Patriot–Entera Buena
(Chi), by Hurricane Cat. SAR200,000.
3–Making Miracles (GB), 127, g, 6, Pivotal (GB)–Field of
Miracles (Ire), by Galileo (Ire). (47,000gns Ylg '16 TATOCT;
22,000gns HRA '19 TATAUT). SAR150,000.
Margins: NO, 1HF, 3.

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Jesus’ Team To Enter Dubai World Cup As ‘Fresh Horse’

Grupo 7C Racing Stable's Jesus' Team returned to the track at Palm Meadows Training Center Friday morning, kicking off preparation for a planned start in the $12 million Dubai World Cup (G1) March 27.

Jesus' Team enjoyed a week of frolicking in a round pen at Gulfstream Park's satellite training center in Palm Beach County following his second-place finish in the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) Jan. 23 at Gulfstream.

“He just jogged this morning,” trainer Jose D'Angelo said. “We're making a training schedule for Dubai.”

Jesus' Team's connections were looking to the $20 million Saudi Cup Feb. 20 as a possible target following the 4-year-old son of Tapiture's runner-up finish behind Knicks Go that pushed his career earnings over $1 million.

“Dubai will be Jesus' next race,” D'Angelo said. “We want a fresh horse for the Dubai World Cup.”

Jesus' Team won a $25,000 claiming race at Gulfstream May 8 after being transferred to D'Angelo's stable before going on the finish third in the Preakness Stakes (G1), second in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) and rallying to finish second in the Pegasus World Cup.

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American-Bred Trio Features In Saudi Cup Prep

King Abdulaziz Racetrack in the Saudi capital of Riyadh plays host to the $266,667 Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup (King's Cup) Saturday afternoon, a 10-furlong affair that will produce a handful of runners for the second running of the $20-million Saudi Cup in three weeks' time.

Scars Are Cool (Malibu Moon) won three of his 13 starts in the colors of Sagamore Farm and fetched $175,000 from Saudi Arabian interests during the Horses of Racing Age section of the Fasig-Tipton July Sale last summer. The Florida-bred was well-beaten behind the re-opposing Making Miracles (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) in the Crown Prince Cup over 2400 meters Dec. 26, but dropped back in trip and registered a 3/4-length victory in allowance company going a mile Jan. 15 (see below). Scars Are Cool has gate 16 in a field of 18.

The Khalid Mishrif Bin Shanan-owned Gronkowski (Lonhro {Aus}) and Axelrod (Warrior's Reward) also landed double-digit posts in 11 and 14, respectively, as they attempt to earn their way into the Saudi Cup. Runner-up to Justify (Scat Daddy) in the 2018 GI Belmont S., Gronkowski ran Thunder Snow (Ire) (Helmet {Aus}) to a nose in the 2019 G1 Dubai World Cup and finished a distant 10th to Maximum Security (New Year's Day) in last year's Saudi Cup. He is unraced since. Axelrod, winner of the 2018 GIII Indiana Derby and GIII Smarty Jones S., was ninth in the 2019 World Cup and was last seen finishing runner-up in the G3 Burj Nahaar S. at Meydan last March.

Hallaaf (KSA) (Friends Lake) looks the best of the horses bred locally and exits a defeat of the commonly owned Persian Moon (Ire) (Makfi {GB}) in the King Saud Bin Abdulaziz Cup over course and distance Jan. 16.

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup has a scheduled post time of 11 a.m. ET. Click here for live streaming.

WATCH: Scars Are Cool wins a Jan. 15 allowance in Riyadh

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Baffert: Charlatan’s ‘Talent Makes Up For His Inexperience’ Heading To Saudi Cup

Though Bob Baffert doesn't expect to make the trip to Riyadh next month for the second edition of the $20 million Saudi Cup, the Hall of Fame trainer will have a strong hand with potential race-day favorite Charlatan headed overseas. The lightly-raced 4-year-old son of Speightstown will make the Saudi Cup just his fifth career start, but a big performance off the layoff in the Grade 1 Malibu on Dec. 26 proved talent isn't an issue.

“I think his talent makes up for his inexperience,” Baffert said during a conference call Wednesday. “I think he has enough experience where he doesn't know what it's like to lose. I think that's a good trait.”

Charlatan has crossed the wire first in all four of his career starts, though he was disqualified from his win in the G1 Arkansas Derby in May, 2020. Given time off for injury after that start, Charlatan returned to dominate the G1 Malibu by 4 1/2 lengths.

Baffert said the one-turn, 1 1/8-mile distance of the Saudi Cup was especially attractive with a speed horse like Charlatan.

“I think coming off the seven-eighths race, especially the way he did it, I think it is a perfect kind of distance,” the trainer said. “We know he ships well and he has a great mind on him. He's a good gate horse. It's very challenging to go to Saudi or Dubai. You need a really great mind and he has a really great mind. So I think that race fits the bill perfectly for him.”

Baffert indicated a couple minor concerns after the inaugural edition of the race, including a narrow starting gate that doesn't allow a header to stay with the horse, and a deeper track surface that the trainer thought could have used more water ahead of race day.

Another American-trained horse, Tacitus, will contest the Saudi Cup for a second straight year. The 5-year-old son of Tapit has danced most of the big dances and is regularly flirting with a top-level victory, but has yet to break through. Tacitus was fifth last year at Riyadh, and will be making his first start since finishing fourth in the Breeders' Cup Classic.

“Last year when we brought Tacitus, he had a nice little following locally due to the fact that he was a Juddmonte horse,” said Riley Mott, assistant to his father, trainer Bill Mott. “He had a lot of fans there on race day. And just to be there in (the late) Prince Khalid Abdullah's home country was very special. To bring Tacitus back this year is something we are very much looking forward to and a big reason why we kept him in training this year.”

It is currently unclear whether impressive Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile and Pegasus World Cup winner Knicks Go will ship over for the Saudi Cup. Trainer Brad Cox told the Daily Racing Form that a decision will be made by Monday.

“He does look really good out of the race, sound, a 5-year-old with a lot of energy. His weight's great,” reported Cox.

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