Senor Buscador, Ushba Tesoro head to Dubai for rematch

A desperate head separated victorious Senor Buscador and tough-luck runner-up Ushba Tesoro in the $20 million Saudi Cup last Saturday, and the two horses are headed for a rematch March 30 at Meydan Racecourse in the $12 million Dubai World Cup.

Senor Buscador was narrowly better in the one-turn, 1 1/8-mile Saudi Cup, but the advantage might swing toward Ushba Tesoro in the Dubai World Cup, a race he won in 2023. The Dubai World Cup is contested over 1 1/4 miles and run around two turns, conditions that likely favor Ushba Tesoro. Senor Buscador has been fourth, fifth, and eighth in his three 1 1/4-mile tries.

Senor Buscador, whose Saudi Cup win produced a 122 Timeform Rating, was one of two American-based horses who raced in the Saudi Cup that shipped to Dubai on Monday. The other is Saudi Crown, who set the pace and held on gamely for third, but his target in Dubai is the Godolphin Mile, not the Dubai World Cup, trainer Brad Cox confirmed via text message Sunday.

:: Bet the races with a $200 First Deposit Match + FREE All Access PPs! Join DRF Bets.

National Treasure, a solid fourth in the Saudi Cup, ships back to the United States later this week to aim for a summer campaign in America, his connections posted on Twitter. Also coming back to the United States is White Abarrio, 10th as the favorite in the Saudi Cup. White Abarrio came out of the lackluster effort in good physical condition, according to Mark Cornett, who owns part of White Abarrio with his brother, Clint, as C2 Racing. The Cornetts sold a minority share in the horse in January.

“He was cooled out in 10 minutes. Just wasn’t his day,” Mark Cornett said.

White Abarrio flies to Chicago on Feb. 29, but Cornett said Monday he wasn’t sure where the horse would be based after he exits quarantine.

Saudi Cup fifth-place finisher, Derma Sotogake, second to White Abarrio in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, also is expected to start in the Dubai World Cup.

There will not, however, be a rematch between the top two Saudi Derby finishers, Forever Young and Book’em Danno, in the UAE Derby next month. Forever Young has gone on to Dubai, where his connections hope to earn a berth into the Kentucky Derby, but Book’em Danno, caught on the wire Saturday by Forever Young, is headed back to America, trainer Derek Ryan said in a Monday text message. Book’em Danno, who looks like a very good sprinter-miler, might have hit the far end of his stamina range in the one-turn mile Saudi Derby, while Forever Young was just getting warmed up at the trip. Forever Young, always out of rhythm in Saturday’s contest, ought to better suit the 1 3/16-mile race in Dubai. Timeform gave him a 105 rating in the Saudi Derby.

Skelly, who was run down late Saturday to finish second in the Riyadh Dirt Sprint, flies back to America this week and won’t race in the Dubai Golden Shaheen, trainer Steve Asmussen said in a Sunday text message. But the Bill Mott-trained Bold Journey, third in the race, 1 1/2 lengths behind Skelly, has gone on to Dubai for the Golden Shaheen.

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.