Panthalassa leads Japanese dominance of Saudi Cup
In 2022, Japan-based horses won four undercard stakes on the Saudi Cup card. In 2023, four Japanese horses, led by gate-to-wire winner Panthalassa, finished among the top five home in the $20 million Saudi Cup at King Abdulaziz Racecourse.
Only Country Grammer, second for the second year in a row in the world’s richest race, broke up a Japanese sweep. Coming late and wide under Frankie Dettori, Country Grammer was going best the final furlong but fell just short of Panthalassa, a 6-year-old racing on dirt for just the second time while making his 25th start.
Panthalassa, a one-way front-runner, needs the lead to show his best. In his last start, the Hong Kong Cup on Dec. 11 at Sha Tin, he worked hard to make the front, labored long before the real running began, and checked in a distant 10th. The story was far different in Saudi Arabia, where Panthalassa broke running from the rail under Yotaka Yoshida and never looked back.
Taiba, the 8-5 favorite, was away alertly from post 2, tried to run with the leader and couldn’t, while another prominent horse, Japan-based Crown Pride, was taken back a bit to sit just behind the speed. Yet another Japanese horse, Geoglyph, crossed from an outside draw to stalk the pace alongside Crown Pride as Country Grammer raced wide down the long backstretch run.
Geoglyph got up into second after about 300 meters, Taiba sucking back and coming outside the two leaders while ridden along by Mike Smith. Going around the Saudi Cup’s one turn, Panthalassa pressed onward as Taiba came under pressure and Country Grammer raced at least five paths off the rail, the 2022 Saudi Cup winner Emblem Road even wider than he.
Taiba threw in the towel with 500 meters to run as Café Pharoah launched an inside bid, Japanese occupying the first four places as the field turned into the homestretch. Country Grammer had failed to progress through the second part of the turn, coming to the 400-meter mark still just seventh. With only a furlong left, Panthalassa turned back the three Japanese pursuers, Country Grammer finally found his best stride, gaining rapidly through the final 50 meters but falling three quarters of a length short.
Café Pharoah finished third, a half-length behind Country Grammmer, with Geoplyph fourth by a head. Fifth was Crown Pride, who was followed by Emblem Road, Jun Light Bolt (at 9-2 the shortest price among six Japan-based runners), Taiba. Remorse, Lagartha Rhyme, Vin de Garde, Sunset Flash, and Scotland Yard. Winning time for the 1,800 meters over a fast track was 1:50.79, the slowest clocking among four editions of the Saudi Cup.
Panthalassa paid $34.10 and provided trainer Yoshito Yahagi with his second win on the card following Bathrat Leon’s tally in the 1351 Turf Sprint. Owned by Hiroo Race Company, Panthalassa is by Lord Kanaloa out of the Montjeu mare, Miss Pemberley.
Panthalassa notched his first Group 1 win last March when he dead-heated with Lord North in the Dubai Turf. In his lone previous dirt race, in December 2020, Panthalass had finished 11th. Second time was a charm.
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