Though a minor illness knocked undefeated Maxfield out of contention for this weekend's Pegasus World Cup, the 4-year-old son of Street Sense has fully recovered and recorded a half-mile breeze in :49.80 last Saturday at the Fair Grounds.
According to the Daily Racing Form, trainer Brendan Walsh and the Godolphin ownership are planning to start Maxfield in either the $20 million Saudi Cup on Feb. 20, or the G3 Mineshaft Handicap at the Fair Grounds on Feb. 13.
“He looked good and he came back good,” Walsh told drf.com on Wednesday. “It seems like he got over that little hiccup just fine. He trained this morning before I left, and he looks great.”
Maxfield won the G1 Breeders' Futurity in 2019 at Keeneland, then missed the Breeders' Cup due to injury. He returned to win Churchill's G3 Matt Winn Stakes in May of 2020, but missed time again until he returned to win the listed Tenacious Stakes at the Fair Grounds on Dec. 19.
Scars Are Cool (Malibu Moon), a $175,000 purchase at Fasig-Tipton’s 2020 July Horses of Racing Age Sale, won a US$27,000 open race for imported horses Friday at King Abdullaziz Racecourse in Riyadh, which moved him one step closer to a possible start in the $20-million Saudi Cup.
It was the second start in Saudi Arabia for the 5-year-old, who was campaigned by Sagamore Farm when racing in the U.S. He was unplaced in a Dec. 26 race before winning Friday’s 1,600-meter event by three-quarters of a length. He broke his maiden in 2019 at Saratoga and came back to run in the GI Travers S. in his next start. He would go on to win allowance races at Churchill Downs and Gulfstream.
According to Tom Ryan, the director of strategy and international racing for the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia, whether or not Scars Are Cool qualifies for the Saudi Cup may depend on what rating he gets from the local handicapper. The ratings for last week’s races will be released mid-week. He also has the option of trying to qualify for the race in a Jan. 30 prep, the G1 The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup.
Lexington-based bloodstock agent Tom Clark signed the ticket at the Fasig-Tipton sale for Saudi-based breeder Ahmad Alabdullatif, an advisor to several Saudi racing operations. His new owner is Mohammed Omar I. Alsakran.
Clark said that the horse’s main selling point was his soundness.
“He was perfectly sound when we bought him,” he said. “That’s what drew us to him. He didn’t have a pimple on him. From the X-rays, you expect to see some wear and tear when they’ve raced for a little while, but there was no wear and tear on him at all.”
Clark said that the Saudis have been shopping at sales in Europe when looking for horses to compete in their major races.
“Traditionally, they have bought at Tattersalls in Newmarket and they have done well with those horses,” he said. “But they race on dirt primarily, so it’s not surprising that they bought one here. Why wouldn’t they want dirt horses?”
WATCH: Scars Are Cool (SC #14, post 11) winning in Saudi Arabia Jan. 15
Scars Are Cool, a graduate of the 2020 July Horses of Racing Age Sale, captured the $100,000 Open Imported Horse Stake at King Abdullaziz Racecourse in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Jan. 15.
The race is part of the series that leads up the $20-million Saudi Cup scheduled for Feb. 20.
Scars Are Cool was sold for $175,000 at the 2020 Fasig-Tipton July Horses of Racing Age Sale to Ahmad Alabdullatif, a breeder based in Riyadh.
An advisor to several Saudi Arabian racing operations, Alabdullatif identified several candidates at the sale for consideration and Scars Are Cool emerged as the top choice of his eventual buyer, Mohammed Omar I. Alsakan. Lexington-based bloodstock agent Thomas Clark signed the ticket on behalf of Mr. Alabdullatif and the buyer.
Scars Are Cool was consigned to the sale by Claiborne Farm, agent for Sagamore Farm.
Last year’s G1 Prix du Jockey Club victor Mishriff (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}) is being prepared for next month’s $20-million Saudi Cup, said Ted Voute, racing manager to the colt’s owner/breeder Prince Faisal.
Trained by John Gosden, Mishriff was second in last February’s Saudi Derby on the same card before stringing together a hat trick of black-type victories over the summer, beginning with the Listed Newmarket S. prior to the French Derby and culminating in a 4 1/2-length score in the G2 Prix Guillaume d’Ornano. He was last seen beating two home over the soft ground in the G1 Champion S. at Ascot on Oct. 17.
“John’s preparing him for the race,” Voute confirmed. “The Prince and him discussed it in late December and the Prince lives in Riyadh. It’s on a dirt track which he handled last year when he came second. We’re going back a furlong, but we hope it won’t inconvenience him.”
“It’s something to look forward to,” Voute added. “There’s not a lot for him at home until probably June. Last year he went out there and [then] won the French Derby which was the same sort of timing. It gives him a few months off after he comes back.”
Frankie Dettori was in the saddle for Mishriff’s last two starts, but David Egan will take the ride in the Saudi Cup.
“He’s in Bahrain at the moment so he’s nice and close,” Voute said. “We’ve contacted him already and he says he’ll be delighted to ride him. He’s retained by us, but for one reason or another he didn’t get back on him last year [after Newmarket].”
There are 17 Grade or Group 1 winners entered for the Saudi Cup, including Mishriff’s Champion S. conqueror Addeybb (GB) (Pivotal {GB}). Other European representation could come from the Roger Charlton-trained Extra Elusive (GB) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}), Saeed bin Suroor’s Military March (GB) (New Approach {Ire}) and Charlie Hills’s Tilsit (First Defence).
