Saudi Crown rebounds, prevails in Tenacious Stakes

Saudi Crown simply wasn’t ready for the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile last month at Del Mar. He had missed his intended prep with a relatively minor foot problem and had done little serious work going into a million-dollar race. It showed. Saudi Crown raced flat from the start, all but eased under the wire.

But on Saturday at Fair Grounds, Saudi Crown was ready. Pouncing on pacesetting Track Phantom before the quarter pole, Saudi Crown rolled to a two-length victory over his Brad Cox-trained stablemate Kinetic in the $100,000 Tenacious Stakes.

“He finished with a lot in reserve,” jockey Florent Geroux said.

Favored at odds-on for much of the wagering, Saudi Crown wound up an 11-10 shot and paid $4.20 in a race he was going to win if he ran to his better form. Four-year-old Saudi Crown landed the Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby at age 3 and this past February finished third, beaten less than one length, in the $20 million Saudi Cup.

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While the Saudi Cup is contested around one turn, the race is 1,800 meters, about 1 1/8 miles, and Cox after the 1 1/16-mile Tenacious said Saudi Crown performed best between one mile and 1 1/16 miles.

He definitively proved better than seven rivals Saturday, clocking a snappy 1:42.35 over a fast track, nearly, for what it’s worth, one second faster than his winning time in the Louisiana Stakes last January at Fair Grounds.

Track Phantom, making his second start after an extended post-Kentucky Derby layoff, set sail for the lead from post 1, posting solid splits of 23.84 and 47.59 while tracked by Saudi Crown.

“He broke beautifully and relaxed nicely,” Geroux said. “I was very pleased with how he was traveling. Sometimes when he’s not on the lead, he can get eager.”

Geroux let Saudi Crown sidle up to Track Phantom past the three-furlong marker, taking the pacesetter’s measure into the homestretch and holding clear Kinetic, who struggled to change leads while lugging in, still a creditable showing in his stakes debut and fifth career start.

“He raced green down the lane today. I think he’s got a big future,” Cox said.

As for Saudi Crown, Cox said he toyed with coming back in the Cigar Mile at Aqueduct following the Breeders’ Cup flop before electing to give Saudi Crown a couple more works while seeking a somewhat easier spot. Cox trains Saudi Crown, a son of Always Dreaming and New Narration, by Tapit, for the Saudi-based FMQ Stables, and didn’t commit to another Saudi Cup start this winter.

“I don’t know where this leads,” he said. “Hopefully we can move forward off this.”

Kinetic finished 3 3/4 lengths in front of third-place Warrior Johny, who tagged a flagging Track Phantom for third. Longshots filled out the bottom four placings. The best horse in the race won it.

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