Saudi Cup has already reshaped the U.S. handicap division

While the $20 million Saudi Cup will become the world’s richest horse race when it is run for the first time on Feb. 29, its influence on United States racing has already begun.

Five U.S. runners bound for the Saudi Cup, and seven others for lucrative undercard stakes, arrived this week in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Saturday evening at King Abdulaziz Racecourse, they race for the highest purse in history. Who’s going?

“I’m going,” declared trainer Bob Baffert, “$20 million gets me off the couch.”

The Saudi purse did more than lure Baffert back to the Middle East, where he won three Dubai World Cups. It also postponed the retirement of Baffert-trained McKinzie, kept champion female Midnight Bisou racing another year for current owners, and redirected campaigns of 3-year-old champion Maximum Security and Tacitus. Along with Mucho Gusto, the Baffert-trained Pegasus World Cup winner, the U.S. quintet is solid.

Yes, the 1 1/8-mile Saudi Cup – one turn – reshaped the handicap division even prior to its first running. And when the U.S. runners face nine others, including hotshot Benbatl from the United Arab Emirates, it’s for international bragging rights and big money.

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The winner’s share of the Saudi Cup is $10 million, followed by $7.2 million to the winner of the $12 million Dubai World Cup on March 28. If a horse wins both, he or she will pass Arrogate ($17,422,600) to become the highest earner in history.

No wonder McKinzie is still racing.

“Without the Saudi Cup, McKinzie probably would be retired,” Baffert said. “Big farms wanted to buy him, run in the Pegasus, and be done. We left a lot on the table. We’re rolling the dice to go over there, and maybe hit both of them [Saudi and Dubai].”

Baffert is playing craps with a good horse. McKinzie is a three-time Grade 1 winner who recently finished second in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita. Mucho Gusto won his first Grade 1 last month, defeating a modest field in the Pegasus at Gulfstream Park.

They are joined by 2019 champion female Midnight Bisou, a five-time Grade 1 winner withdrawn from an autumn auction to aim for Saudi. Midnight Bisou will face males for the first time, in her first start since finishing second in the BC Distaff. Tacitus skipped the BC Classic to point for Saudi; Maximum Security, likewise, skipped the Pegasus.

Tacitus is trained by Bill Mott, who trained Cigar to win the inaugural Dubai World Cup in 1996. The Saudi Cup influenced the decision to give Tacitus time to develop.

“It was a major reason we didn’t go in the Breeders’ Cup,” Mott said. “He was just a 3-year-old, he finished third in the Jockey Club Gold Cup [Sept. 28 at Belmont], and was doing fine. We decided to wait and get started here.”

Maximum Security is the early favorite for the Saudi Cup, his first start since a front-running victory in the Grade 1 Cigar Mile on Dec. 7 at Aqueduct. His connections opted to skip the Pegasus to aim for Saudi. Maximum Security did well with the time.

“He hasn’t missed a beat, I’ve been really happy with him,” trainer Jason Servis said this week from Florida. “He’s starting to look like an older horse. He was a late foal; he wasn’t even 3 yet when he won the Derby. If he makes it back from Saudi Arabia, he should really be a tough [older] horse.”

Maximum Security, disqualified from victory and placed 17th in the Kentucky Derby, breezed a half-mile Tuesday morning and shipped the same day. By the following morning, Maximum Security had settled in at King Abdulaziz.

“They sent me videos, and man, he looked really good,” Servis said. “I was really happy with the way he shipped.”

Servis will fly to Saudi Arabia to saddle Maximum Security in the Saudi Cup. His son Garrett Servis is caring for Maximum Security in the interim.

Maximum Security trained on the King Abdulaziz training track after arriving, he will train on the main track for the first time Sunday.

“Max is doing good, rolling and jumping around,” Garrett Servis said Friday from Saudi.

A top challenger to Maximum Security and McKinzie is Dubai-based Benbatl, who scored a decisive victory Feb. 6 at Meydan in his first start on dirt. Benbatl, a Group 1 winner on turf in Dubai, Australia, and Germany, has won 10 of 21.

Officials list 14 possible starters for the Saudi Cup, listed in order of approximate odds posted by European bookmakers: Maximum Security, McKinzie, Benbatl, Mucho Gusto, Capezzano, Midnight Bisou, Chrysoberyl, Tacitus, Gronkowski, North America, Gold Dream, Magic Wand, Mjjack, and Great Scot.

The seven U.S. shippers for undercard stakes races include Imperial Hint, Engage, and Captain Scotty for the $1.5 million Saudi Sprint; Rowdy Yates and Billy Batts for the $800,000 Saudi Derby; Ghoul and Legends of War for the $1 million 1351 Turf Sprint.

Imperial Hint, a four-time Grade 1 winner, walked the first three days after arriving in Saudi. Trainer Luis Carvajal Jr. said Friday morning from Saudi that Imperial Hint will train on the main track Saturday for the first time.

Midnight Bisou, Engage, and Rowdy Yates are trained by Steve Asmussen. Captain Scotty, Billy Batts, and Ghoul race for Peter Miller. Doug O’Neill sent Legends of War. Post time for the Feb. 29 Saudi Cup is 8:40 p.m. in Riyadh (12:40 p.m. Eastern, 9:40 a.m. Pacific).