The world's richest horse race contained plenty of international star power, with the likes of GI Kentucky Derby winner Mandaloun (Into Mischief) facing off with defending winner Mishriff (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}), G1 Champion S. victor Sealiway (Fr) (Galiway {GB}) and GI Breeders' Cup Distaff victress Marche Lorraine (Jpn) (Orfevre {Jpn}), but in the end it was a new name written among the global racing elite with the locally trained Emblem Road (Quality Road) springing the upset in the $20-million G1 Saudi Cup. Though he has raced exclusively in Saudi Arabia since being purchased for $80,000 at OBS June in 2020, Emblem Road traces his roots back to Kentucky. Bred by Brian Moore's Brushy Hill Enterprises out of the Bernardini mare Venturini, Emblem Road was born at Threave Main Stud in Paris, Kentucky. His mating was planned by the late Mike Recio, whose South Point Sales Agency sold him for $230,000 at Keeneland September in 2019.
Now owned by Prince Saud bin Salman Abdulaziz, Emblem Road came into Saturday's 1 1/8-mile race off the back of three straight wins, but looked likely to have blown all chance at the start when breaking slowest of all from gate five. Rider Wigberto Ramos didn't panic, however, and kept Emblem Road in touch with the pack but still with plenty to do as the Dubai raider Secret Ambition (GB) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) moved to make the running. Amr Zedan's Country Grammer (Tonalist) raced in Secret Ambition's slipstream while Art Collector (Bernardini) kept the frontrunner company to the outside, with Midnight Bourbon (Tiznow) tracking the GI Woodward S. winner. Mandaloun and Mishriff raced in the three and four paths while stalking the pace, with Marche Lorraine and Sealiway further toward the back. Emblem Road, meanwhile, began to circle the field as they ran into the bend, quickly picking off rivals while traveling five wide. By the time they straightened, Emblem Road was running on the heels of his stablemate Making Miracles (GB) (Pivotal {GB}), likewise running a bold race at long odds. With Art Collector having called it a day at the quarter pole and Secret Ambition soon dropping back on the rail, it was a tussling Country Grammer and Midnight Bourbon who inherited the lead, but Emblem Road soon arrived on their outside, with Making Miracles also rallying gamely in behind. As Midnight Bourbon ceded, Emblem Road grabbed the lead from Country Grammer at the 50-meter mark and hit the line a half-length the best. Making Miracles stayed on for fourth, while the Uruguayan raider Aero Trem (Brz) (Shanghai Bobby) grabbed fifth at huge odds. Marche Lorraine was sixth, while Mandaloun faded to ninth and Art Collector 12th. Sealiway and Mishriff were distanced in 13th and 14th, respectively.
Emblem Road and Ramos returned to raucous celebrations in the King Abdulaziz Racecourse stands, and Prince Bandar Bin Khalid Al Faisal, chairman of the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia, summed up the occasion: “To have a locally trained horse perform that way is very emotional. I'm very happy for the connections, and I'm happy for Saudi Arabia. I think Mishriff, a Saudi-owned horse [the 2021 Saudi Cup winner], did amazing things to spread the love of horses. And now to have a locally-trained horse win it [the Saudi Cup] is extremely special, and I'm really excited about what this means for the future of horse racing in Saudi Arabia.”
Ramos explained how he put his knowledge of the course to good use. “My horse ran a great race and I broke good and my horse was very strong,” he said. “He wanted to go early, but I took my time with him and took a little hold and saw another horse, so then I just waited for the 500 metres to ask him. The key on this track is that you have to be near the front when you pass the 800 metres. If you're near, you are in a good position and outside is the best part of the track. It's a big turn, so when you put a horse who comes from behind all the way on the outside, they finish a lot better. I knew that I could do it, but now that I've done it, I still don't believe it. I beat so many good horses and this is the biggest race in the world. I think he could go on to the Dubai World Cup. He's the kind of horse who can do it.”
Emblem Road has won seven of nine starts and has never been off the board, and he has raced exclusively over this track. He broke his maiden going a mile by 6 1/4 lengths in November of 2020 three weeks after running a debut third, and he won a pair of allowance races in late December and early January of last year before being put away for the season. Emblem Road was second on return on Aug. 28 before winning a local stakes race by 14 lengths. He rounded out the year with a five-length victory in November and returned a winner once again in a Jan. 15 stakes over Great Scot (GB) (Requinto {Ire}), who was third in last year's Saudi Cup but only made it as far as the also eligibles for this year's edition.
Flavien Prat and Joel Rosario aboard runner-up Country Grammer and third-place Midnight Bourbon, respectively, had positive feedback on their mounts. Prat said, “[Country Grammer] ran great. When I pulled away I thought I was going to win, I thought it was going to be enough and that my horse was doing the hardest, but the winner was just too good and finished harder.”
Rosario said of Midnight Bourbon, “I thought he ran really well; it was probably a little bit different with him but he showed heart. He did great.”
Florent Geroux said of Mandaloun, “No good. He just wasn't there today. We knew the locals were good horses but we thought the outside horses might be better.”
Ryan Moore and David Egan provided insight on the well-beaten European fancies. Moore said of Sealiway, who was running on the dirt for the first time, “He started really well. He had more speed than I expected and the pace was strong, and once he got shuffled back he got some kickback and he didn't know what to do. He's a good horse.”
Egan said of Mishriff, “He didn't jump as sharp as last time but I did a similar thing and kept him out wide. He got there with ease but once I turned into the bend I was struggling from a long way out. I hope he's alright, there's obviously something amiss. He's better than that.”
Pedigree Notes
Saudi Arabian themes run along the bottom of Emblem Road's pedigree, too: his second dam is the four-time Grade I-winning filly Ventura (Chester House), who was bred by the late, great Saudi Arabian breeder Khalid Abdullah of Juddmonte Farm. Emblem Road's dam, the unplaced Venturini, was the first live foal out of Ventura and was purchased by Brushy Hill for $62,000 at Keeneland November in 2016 in foal to Temple City. The resulting produce was the Canadian listed-placed Kunal, and Emblem Road is the mare's second foal. She has a 2-year-old colt by Nyquist. Ventura has since produced the G3 Prix de Lieurey winner Fount (GB) (Frankel {GB}). The dual South African Group 1 winner Queen Supreme (Ire) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) appears under the third dam Estala (GB) (Be My Guest).
Saturday, King Abdulaziz (Riyadh), Saudi Arabia
SAUDI CUP-G1, $20,000,000, King Abdulaziz, 2-26, 4yo/up, 1800m, 1:50.52, ft.
1–EMBLEM ROAD, 126, c, 4, Quality Road
               1st Dam: Venturini, by Bernardini
               2nd Dam: Ventura, by Chester House
               3rd Dam: Estala (GB), by Be My Guest
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. 1ST GROUP WIN. 1ST GROUP 1 WIN.
($230,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP; $80,000 2yo '20 OBSJUN). O-Prince
Saud Bin Salman Abdulaziz; B-Brushy Hill, LLC (KY); T-Mitab
Almulawah; J-Wigberto Ramos; $10,000,000. Lifetime Record:
9-7-1-1, $10,204,734. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Country Grammer, 126, h, 5, Tonalist–Arabian Song, by
Forestry. ($60,000 Ylg '18 KEESEP; $450,000 2yo '19 OBSAPR;
$110,000 '21 KEEJAN). O-Zedan Racing Stables, WinStar Farm
& Commonwealth T'Breds; B-Scott & Debbie Pierce (KY); T-Bob
Baffert; J-Flavien Prat; $3,500,000.
3–Midnight Bourbon, 126, c, 4, Tiznow–Catch the Moon, by
Malibu Moon. ($525,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP). O-Winchell
Thoroughbreds, LLC; B-Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings,
LLC (KY); T-Steven Asmussen; J-Joel Rosario; $2,000,000.
Margins: HF, 1HF, 3.
Also Ran: Making Miracles (GB), Aero Trem (Brz), Marche Lorraine (Jpn), Secret Ambition (GB), T O Keynes (Jpn), Mandaloun, Magny Cours, Real World (Ire), Art Collector, Sealiway (Fr), Mishriff (Ire).
Click for the Racing Post chart and VIDEO. Click for the free Equineline.com catalog-style pedigree.
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