Saudi Cup preview: Full pedigree guide

It’s the richest race in the world worth $20 million US dollars and after the diversion of Luxembourg to the Neom Turf Cup, the race has developed yet again into Japan, USA versus the rest of the world.

Breeders’ Cup Classic winner White Abarrio (Race Day) is a worthy favourite. BC Classic runner up and one-time leading Kentucky Derby fancy Dermo Sotogake (Mind Your Biscuits) has a length to find with his conqueror but had his excuses that day having not run since a disappointing effort at Churchill Downs the previous May.

National Treasure (Quality Road) arrives in a rich vein of form having dominated the Pegasus World Cup. JRA Dirt Champion 2023 Lemon Pop (Lemon Drop Kid) is Godolphin owned and so will be cheered home by many on this continent and is by no means ‘second-string’ for Japan. The same can be said for last year’s Dubai World Cup winner Ushba Tesoro (Orfevre) who has ground to find with the favourite but comes here in good form fresh off a local (Japanese) Grade 1 win.

White Abarrio (Race Day x Catching Diamonds by Into Mischief)

Breeding is a funny game. It is often said that the most a stallion master can wish for their charge is that they sire a horse as good as themselves. Only the best of the best sire one better. Think Galileo and Frankel, Dubawi and Ghaiyyath, Siyouni and Sottsass to name a handful of the elite. One unlikely name to add to the list is White Abarrio and his undistinguished sire. Race Day (Tapit) acquitted himself well in Grade 2/3 company but twice fell short when tried in Grade 1s. The same cannot be said for his triple Grade 1 winning son White Abarrio who bids to add another along with $10 million which would push his career earnings just shy of $15 million.

From the first crop of Race Day, White Abarrio played his hand all too late to save his sire from departure to Korea, making his winning debut in September 2021 at the age of three. Even so, White Abarrio does appear to be a bit of a freak for his sire so may not have secured his place in Kentucky. The Breeders' Cup Classic winner is not only his sire's sole Grade 1 winner, but he is in fact the only one of eight stakes winners to score in Graded stakes company. Granted Race Day never covered big books nor did he ever command a fee higher than $7,500, however a mere 2% stakes winners to foals (8 from 340) is still a poor return. White Abarrio's dam Catching Diamonds achieved very little in three visits to the track but being a daughter of five time Champion Sire Into Mischief is likely having some sort of influence in White Abarrio's superior speed. Catching Diamonds half-brother Cool Cowboy enjoyed his finest hour in the Gulf winning a pair of Group 3s at Meydan, while her half-sister Downside Scenario (Scat Daddy) is responsible for Shadwell’s one time (Kentucky) Derby hope and Grade 2 winner Mutasaabeq, also by Into Mischief.

Where exactly White Abarrio inherited his innate ability to run very fast is anyone’s guess but the facts are he is a worthy favourite and exactly the type of rags to riches story breeders and racing fans alike love to cherish.

National Treasure (Quality Road x Treasure by Medaglia d’Oro)

Lanes End might have the honour of standing unbeaten Champion Flightline (Tapit) but National Treasure’s sire Quality Road holds pride of place at the top of the table standing at $200,000 for the third time. Readers on these shores might remember Quality Road’s electric Windsor Castle Stakes winner Hootenanny who subsequently gave trainer Wesley Ward his first Breeders’ Cup winner in the Juvenile Turf.

Becoming his sire’s second Classic winner in last year’s Preakness, National Treasure would be Quality Road’s second winner of the Saudi Cup in its short history should he emerge victorious here after the 2022 success of locally trained Emblem Road. National Treasure is out of the Medaglia d’Oro mare Treasure who is enjoying a much better career as a broodmare than she did on the track. Treasure ran in seven maidens but couldn’t get her head in front. She was consistent to her credit, placing six out of seven times. Her current three year old is the twice raced winner and G1 Hopeful Stakes third Pirate (Omaha Beach). National Treasure is her second stakes winner having already produced hard-knocking Listed winner Ultimate (Speightstown). This colt has proven his class on the track and arrives fresh from his first win since his Classic win at Pimlico last May. The trip will suit, the trainer is in red hot form and at the prices he seems underestimated.

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Dermo Sotogake (Mind Your Biscuits x Amour Poesie by Neo Universe)

The Japanese are sending a strong team once again with the aim of repeating last year’s thwarting of the US contingent. Panthalassa (Lord Kanaloa) claimed the scalp of Bob Baffert’s Dubai World Cup winner Country Grammer (Tonalist). Dermo Sotogake is by dual Dubai Golden Shaheen winner Mind Your Biscuits who was trained in America but has stood in Japan since retirement. Shadai Farm swooped for the triple G1 winner after his second Dubai World Cup night success, undeterred by his unfashionable sire line. The Japanese faith in pure racing talent above all else appears to have paid off again with this colt from Mind Your Biscuits’ first crop. Dermo Sotogake’s eased down UAE Derby win prompted excitement in Japan at the prospect of an American Classic winner less than 30 years after they acquired breed shaper Sunday Silence. Horse racing has a unique way of bringing us back down to earth and the fairytale wasn’t to be, but a more than solid comeback effort to finish a length second to White Abarrio in the Breeders’ Cup Classic reinforces belief that this colt could yet do something special. Though his sire was at his best over sprint trips, Dermo Sotogake’s dam is by the Japanese Derby winner Neo Universe who is a son of none other than Sunday Silence.

Lemon Pop (Lemon Drop Kid x Unreachable by Giant’s Causeway)

The JRA Dirt Champion of 2023, Lemon Pop has strains of just about every key sire in the modern era. By a son of Kingmambo (Mr. Prospector), he is out of a daughter of Giant’s Causeway (Storm Cat). Though she never won in two starts, her own dam Harpia is by the immensely influential Danzig and a Grade 3 winner in her own right. As if that’s not enough, Harpia is a full sister to Global phenomenon Danehill. Arguably missing just Galileo, this horse could be a destination for his daughters when the time comes. Lemon Drop Kid, retired from stud duties at Lanes End in 2021, was Kingmambo’s flagship son at stud in America which only makes Lemon Pop an even more intriguing stallion prospect. In fact, Lemon Pop was Lemon Drop Kid’s first and only colt to win a Grade 1 on dirt which only enhances his credentials as a future stallion prospect.

Back to the task in hand though and Kingmambo’s stamina influence will be crucial here given Lemon Pop’s fast female family. He has won over the trip in elite company on his most recent start, but this is a track with a long straight that takes the sting out of any horse with a question over stamina. When American speed demon Charlatan (Speightstown) dictated on his own terms, it was Prix du Jockey Club winner Mishriff’s (Make Believe) stamina that outlasted Charlatan’s kick. If you’re looking for a hole in this Japanese Champion’s armour that could be it.

Ushba Tesoro (Orfevre x Millefeui Attach by King Kamehameha)

Ushba Tesoro enjoyed his finest hour last March when running down Algiers (Shamardal) late on to take the Dubai World Cup. By one-time leading Japanese Arc hope Orfevre (Stay Gold) who finished second to Solemia in 2012 and Treve in 2013, his dam is by King Kamehameha (Kingmambo) out of a 9f Grade 2 winner in America. On pedigree, this track and trip should prove no problem to Ushba Tesoro. Form is a different story, with three and a quarter lengths to find with White Abarrio after a creditable run in fifth in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. That said, his Breeders’ Cup effort and Dubai World Cup win represent excellent form figures for his only races away from home.

Saturday’s feature is shaping up to be an intriguing race as it rightly should be given the unrivalled prize money on offer. With the first five in the market so closely ranked, it is certain to be an excellent contest to keep flat fans entertained as the Curragh curtain opener on March 18th creeps ever closer. Romantics will cheer home White Abarrio but pedigree indicates this will be a win to treasure for Bob Baffert during testing times on his home turf - it’s NATIONAL TREASURE for me.

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