Tacitus all grown up and a threat at a price in Saudi Cup

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – The capital of Saudi Arabia felt like expected Tuesday. In the desert city of Riyadh, the wind was still, the weather warm and dry.

Yet at an isolated location on the outskirts of town 40 kilometers north of downtown Riyadh, the racetrack atmosphere Tuesday was not so still. Things were happening, and the preparation felt familiar, like the anticipation prior to a major race anywhere in the world.

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The $20 million Saudi Cup on Saturday at King Abdulaziz Racetrack, the world’s richest race, has a worthy U.S. contingent – champions Maximum Security and Midnight Bisou, Grade 1 winners McKinzie and Mucho Gusto, and the appealing longshot Tacitus.

The shippers did not know what to expect at King Abdulaziz. A small grandstand reflects local popularity. Riyadh’s population is 7 million, but only thousands attend racing two days a week and the track will cap attendance at 10,000 for the inaugural Saudi Cup. Horse racing is still an upscale, elite sport in Saudi Arabia. There is no local wagering.

Turns are wide on the main track; an extended chute allows mile and one-quarter races at one turn. The Saudi Cup is a mile and an eighth. Track superintendent Bob Turman said main-track winners split evenly between front-runners and closers.

Based on informal conversations with trainers and riders at King Abdulaziz, the dirt surface is slower than dirt surfaces in the U.S. It also is kind. Speaking casually, one U.S. trainer said the surface, and facilities “surpassed all my expectations.”

The racecourse, which includes an inner turf layout, is visually appealing. So is the gray colt Tacitus. If the Saudi Cup makes an international splash in its debut, it would be appropriate for Tacitus to make a splash in his 4-year-old debut.

Trained by Bill Mott and his son, assistant trainer Riley Mott, Tacitus’s new rider is Jose Lezcano, who will replace the injured Jose Ortiz. Tacitus also has a new exercise rider in Laura Gardner.

Aside from a new rider in the morning and a new rider for the Saudi Cup, perhaps the biggest change in Tacitus is his physique. Riley Mott has witnessed it first-hand.

“If you looked at [Tacitus] in October, as opposed to what he looks like now, he’s really matured physically,” Mott said. “He was a big, scopey thing, maybe slightly slender. Now, he’s completely filled out.”

Tacitus will be making his first start since a respectable third behind Vino Rosso and Code of Honor in the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup. Based on looks, body language, and his action over the King Abdulaziz surface, Tacitus is likely to run well Saturday.

Gardner worked Tacitus three furlongs Tuesday morning at 7:15, and while a short work days before a long race is not typically a major factor, even a novice physicality analyst could see Tacitus is feeling good. Ears pricked, he had a spring in his step on his way off the track. Gardner senses the colt is ready for something big – “He’s full of beans.”

Tacitus “is an easy read,” Mott said. “He’s traveling very well over the surface, his appetite is good.”

Mott was only 4 years old in 1996, when Bill Mott won the inaugural Dubai World Cup with Cigar. The younger Mott appreciates the historical challenges, then and now.

“It was a really big deal for my dad and the connections of Cigar to sort of step into the unknown of Dubai. No one knew anything about it and they just went for it,” he said. “It’s kind of cool that I’m part of the first Saudi Cup. This place is kind of an unknown.”

Tacitus also is under the radar. Since winning the Grade 2 Wood Memorial last spring, he finished in the money five subsequent starts without a win. Of course, hitting the board in the Kentucky Derby, Belmont, Travers, and Jockey Club Gold Cup is no small feat.

Based on comparative form, Tacitus actually figures as a major contender in the Saudi Cup. He already defeated Mucho Gusto in the Travers. Tacitus later finished only four lengths behind Vino Rosso, who defeated McKinzie by four and a half lengths.

Tacitus could win the Saudi Cup, or not. Based on how he looks, acts, and trains, this much is sure: Saturday night at King Abdulaziz, Tacitus will show up.

Miller works two

Two Peter Miller trainees worked three furlongs Tuesday morning in preparation for Saudi Cup undercard races. Kenny Black worked Ghoul three-eighths on turf at 7:10. Ghoul runs in the $1 million 1351 Turf Sprint.

Ghoul, a top turf sprinter in Brazil whose career stalled in North America, has improved since transferring to Miller two starts back and adopting an off-the-pace strategy under Joel Rosario. Ghoul finished second across the wire (disqualified to ninth) last out in a restricted stakes at Santa Anita.

Billy Batts worked three furlongs on dirt at 7:30 under Black. Winner of a turf sprint stakes at Santa Anita last out, Billy Batts run in the $800,000 Saudi Derby. It will be his first start on dirt.

Billy Batts also will race for a new owner. Miller confirmed that Rockingham Ranch sold the City Zip colt privately to Saudi owner Sharaf Mohammed al Zahrani. Miller remains his trainer.