It was in Maryland during May of 2023 that it became evident Straight No Chaser had world-class sprint talent. And if Straight No Chaser can win the $1.5 million Riyadh Dirt Sprint on Saturday night in Saudi Arabia, he can reasonably be called the best dirt sprinter in the world. Straight No Chaser breaks from post 10 under John Velazquez, a good draw for a fast horse who demonstrated in his last start he can sit just off the pace and perform as well as when he has led. And if Straight No Chaser runs back to that last race, a victory in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, he’ll win the Dirt Sprint. A degree of skepticism is not unwarranted. The dirt track at Del Mar, where Straight No Chaser won the BC Sprint, is composed of far different material than the sandy course at King Abdulaziz Racecourse. The trip to Maryland, where Straight No Chaser beat some decent rivals in the Grade 3 Maryland Sprint, yielded the 5-year-old’s top Beyer Speed Figure, 107, and while winning more important races in 2024, Straight No Chaser only hit a peak of 103. Straight No Chaser made only one start in the 16 months after the Maryland Sprint, and his trainer, England native Dan Blacker, lacks experience shipping horses internationally. :: Bet the races with a $200 First Deposit Match + FREE All Access PPs! Join DRF Bets. Working strongly in Straight No Chaser’s favor: The competition, or lack thereof. Straight No Chaser figures an odds-on favorite in the global betting pool, and while likely second choice Remake won the Riyadh Dirt Sprint a year ago, he also finished 11th, beaten almost 10 lengths by Straight No Chaser, in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint. Remake in the 2024 Dirt Sprint barely ran down Skelly, a very quick horse who was undone by the long homestretch in Riyadh. Straight No Chaser has more substance and more stay than Skelly, and anything approaching his best gets the money. 1351 Turf Sprint Ascoli Piceno’s first start outside of Japan did not end well, but the filly was still heavily favored Thursday in antepost betting for the 1351 Turf Sprint on the Saudi Cup undercard. The 4-year-old filly is one of 13 entrants in the Turf Sprint, contested, as its name denotes, over 1,351 meters, about 6 3/4 furlongs. Among her rivals are a Japan-based female who last raced in America, Ten Happy Rose, and a rising American turf sprinter, Howard Wolowitz. Ascoli Piceno has two major questions to answer: Can she show her best over a distance this short, and can she take her top Japanese form out on the road? The Japanese champion 2-year-old filly of 2023, Ascoli Piceno won just once in four starts last year but still showed she’d trained on as a 3-year-old. After finishing a solid second of 18 in the Oka Sho, Japan’s 1000 Guineas, Ascoli Piceno, facing males, ran a tremendous race when second in the Group 1 NHK Mile Cup. Caught in tight quarters in upper stretch, the filly crashed into a rival to her inside, lost her footing, and was not far from falling before righting herself and rallying up the rail, again to finish second of 18. Given last summer off, Ascoli Piceno had a prep race in September for the $6.6 million James Squire Golden Eagle at Rosehill Racecourse in Australia. Much too far off the early pace in a 20-runner field, Ascoli Piceno lost ground on both turns of the 7 1/2-furlong contest and was spun 12 to 13 paths wide turning for home. She finished 12th, beaten just 3 1/4 lengths, and if she gets back to her 2024 best should have no trouble getting up to win Saturday under Christophe Lemaire, who did not pilot her in Australia. Annaf won this race a year ago and returns to Saudi Arabia having used the same Lingfield Park prep race as he did before his 2024 Turf Sprint victory. Ten Happy Rose last saw action in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, where she took a stretch call lead and held fourth at 58-1. Howard Wolowitz finished a troubled ninth in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, then came back with a sharp age-restricted win in a Turfway Park stakes race, and will, if nothing else, be a forward factor Saturday night. Neom Turf Cup The second-richest race on the card, the Red Sea Turf Cup, at 1 7/8 miles, much too long for American grass horses, did not draw a stellar field, the Aidan O’Brien-trained Continuous holding tepid antepost favoritism over Al Nayyir and Deira Mile. Continuous, a Group 3 winner, most recently finished ninth Dec. 8 in the Hong Kong Vase over 1 1/2 miles. Shin Emperor from Japan and Al Riffa from Ireland head the Neom Turf Cup, a 1 5/16-mile Group 2. Both horses raced last fall in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, neither of them very well, Shin Emperor finishing 12th, one place behind Al Riffa. A very soft course at Longchamp, however, didn’t suit either of them, and firmer footing Saturday in Saudi Arabia will move both forward. ◗ The Chad Summers-trained, American-based Cyclone Mischief tepidly tops the $1.5 million Saudi Derby. Cyclone Mischief in his last start won the $150,000 Jerome at Aqueduct, a one-turn mile like Saturday’s race. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.