Saudi Crown handles one turn with ease in Commonwealth

LEXINGTON, Ky. – One turn, zero problems for the 6-year-old horse Saudi Crown, who outclassed five foes and won the Grade 3, $350,000 Commonwealth Stakes by 2 3/4 lengths on Saturday at Keeneland.

Saudi Crown’s last six wins came in two-turn races, and the last time he tried one turn, he finished up the track last fall at Churchill Downs. But not only did Saudi Crown handle the seven-furlong race configuration, he responded favorably to a tactical change, stalking the pace and coming with a run for his first one-turn victory since May 2023.

Saudi Crown tends to lead or stalk, but after breaking on top, jockey Flavien Prat looked left and saw National Identity pushing forward to pressure Saudi Crown. Prat took a hold, and Saudi Crown worked with him, not against him.

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“He came back to me, but at the three-eighths pole, I didn’t know if I had horse or not,” Prat said.

By the quarter pole, Prat knew. Asked for run, Saudi Crown gave it willingly. Turning for home he had made up several lengths, challenging for the lead, and when Saudi Crown changed leads he quickly opened daylight. Crazy Mason, coming from last, briefly threatened to make a race of it with a furlong and a half remaining, but Saudi Crown had plenty left and won easily.

“He tends to cut it close, so it was good to see him win like that today,” said Brad Cox, who trains Saudi Crown for Faisal Mohammed Alqahtani’s Fmq Stables.

Though Crazy Mason always comes from well off the pace, jockey Irad Ortiz was working hard to keep his mount in the game even going into the turn. Crazy Mason eventually got untracked, but Saudi Crown actually widened his lead from the stretch call to the finish. National Identity held on for third, 2 1/4 lengths behind Crazy Mason.

Off modest splits of 22.68, 45.73, and 1:10.02, Saudi Crown clocked 1:22.56 over a fast track, paying $4.02 as the favorite.

Bred by CHC, Saudi Crown, with nine wins and $3.68 million in earnings, ranks far and away as the best horse sired by Always Dreaming. The stallion’s second-highest earner has banked a little less than $400,000. Saudi Crown is out of the Tapit mare New Narration, and Alqahtani bought him at a 2-year-old sale in 2022 for $240,000.

Saudi Crown looked going into the Commonwealth like the race’s clear speed, and Cox after a furlong wondered what he was watching.

“I didn’t expect him to have two in front of him the way it looked on paper,” Cox said. “He responded well. I guess we learned something about him – and he’s a 6-year-old.”

Cox has no set plans for Saudi Crown’s next start, but it almost certainly won’t come in the Grade 1 Churchill Downs next month.

“What I’d like to do is look for races where he’ll be even-money,” Cox said.

He was even-money Saturday for good reason: Saudi Crown was much the best in the Commonwealth.

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