Forever Young Leads $20m Saudi Cup Field

2025 WINNER TO FACE BOB BAFFERT DUO AS LIKELY FIELDS ANNOUNCED

Image: Forever Young outbattles Romantic Warrior to land the 2025 Saudi Cup at King Abdulaziz Racecourse. Credit: Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia / Paul McMillan.

Defending champion Forever Young (JPN) will face a strong American challenge including two runners for Hall of Famer Bob Baffert as the likely fields are unveiled by the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia for The Saudi Cup meeting at King Abdulaziz Racecourse on February 13 and 14.

Yoshito Yahagi’s Breeders’ Cup hero is one of three Saudi Cup entries for Japan along with the Noriyuke Hori-trained Luxor Cafe (USA) and Sunrise Zipangu (JPN), who will fly the flag for the country’s first-ever female handler, Kyoko Maekawa.

Forever Young returns to Riyadh after edging out Hong Kong legend Romantic Warrior (IRE) last February to provide Yahagi with a remarkable second strike in the USD$20m feature following on from the victory of Panthalassa (JPN) two years previous. If Forever Young is successful he will be the first horse to win two Saudi Cups.

There is a strong American representation with six of the gates to be taken by US runners and chief amongst them are the Baffert pair of Breeders’ Cup Mile winner Nysos (USA) as well as Grade 1 Goodwood Stakes winner and Breeders’ Cup Classic seventh, Nevada Beach (USA).

Also making the journey are Steve Asmussen’s Magnitude (USA) who recently beat the Dubai World Cup winner, Hit Show (USA) in the Clark Stakes, with Kenny McPeek’s returning Rattle N Roll (USA), partly owned by Saudi connections, Sharaf Al Hariri in partnership with Lucky Seven Stables, back in fifth place.

The latter will again line up over the 1800m following on from his 2025 success in the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup and fifth in The Saudi Cup, with the American challenge completed by David Jacobson’s Banishing (USA) and the Brad Cox-trained Cigar Mile winner, Bishops Bay (USA) carrying the colours of local owners, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Sons, following his November purchase.

Mhally (GB) earned his place with victory in the same qualifier which Rattle N Roll won last year and will represent owner Sheikh Abdullah Homoud Almalek Alsabah, with the other local runner being the former Cox inmate, Star Of Wonder (USA) who is unbeaten in two Riyadh outings and scooped the Listed King Faisal Cup last month also running in the White Stable colours of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Sons.

The first running of Neom Turf Cup presented by Howden as a Group 1 will see runners from Japan, the UK, Ireland, France, Japan, Qatar and Saudi Arabia compete for $3m, an increase in prize money from the $2m on offer in 2025.

Yahagi’s Shin Emperor (FR) is back to defend his crown and will clash with Karl Burke’s Bahrain International Trophy winner, Royal Champion (IRE), former French runner Survie (IRE) who has joined UK trainer George Boughey and now carries Doreen Tabor’s colours and White Stable’s Saudi qualifier winner, Bolide Porto (IRE).

French trainer Jerome Reynier will also unleash Facteur Cheval (IRE) back on turf over the 2100m after the seven-year-old tried his hand on dirt last year and ran seventh in The Saudi Cup.

Irish trainer Joseph O’Brien dominates the likely field for the $2.5m Red Sea Turf Handicap presented by Longines with three entries in G2 winner Tennessee Stud (IRE), Melbourne Cup runner-up Goodie Two Shoes (IRE) and Sons And Lovers (GB), with his fellow countryman Willie Mullins – winner of the 2021 Neom Turf Cup – having entered Absurde (FR).

Epic Poet (GB) ran a slightly unlucky second last year and is back again over the 3000m for trainer David O’Meara, with fellow Englishman James Owen set to have his first Saudi Cup night runner with Burdett Road (GB).

Japan won the race last year and have both Struve (JPN) and Vermicelles (JPN) engaged with local interest lying with impressive qualifier winner Sayyah (USA), who bolted up by over seven lengths and carries the colours of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz.

Royal Ascot winner Lazzat (FR) is the star name in the G2 $2m 1351 Turf Sprint and he will take on former winner Annaf (IRE), Donnacha O’Brien’s Comanche Brave (IRE) and American runners Time To Dazzle (USA), Reef Runner (USA) and Zio Jo (USA).

Also in the lineup will be qualifier winner Zefzaf (USA) along with the also locally-trained pair Love De Vega (IRE) and Geography (GER).

The G2 $2m Riyadh Dirt Sprint presented by SHG over 1200m is another international affair with Baffert having engaged Breeders’ Cup Sprint second Imagination (USA) along with other American hopes Lovesick Blues (USA) and Just Beat The Odds (USA).

Japan has five in the Likely Field, including last year’s Saudi Derby runner-up Shin Forever (USA) while also coming from the Far East is Manfred Man’s Hong Kong challenger, Self Improvement (AUS) a G3 winner in South Korea last year.

American handlers are well represented in the $1.5m G3 Saudi Derby presented by Zood, with Brad Cox and My World (USA), Kenny McPeek and Acknowledgemeplz (USA) and Steve Asmussen with Obliteration (USA) all bidding for glory and the 30 Kentucky Derby points available to the winner.

The US team will take on five runners from Japan, UK representative, Shayem (IRE), French runner Cielo Di Roma (FR) and the over seven-length winner of the Saudi 2000 Guineas, Al Haram (IRE) owned by Sheikh Al Sabah.

The Saudi International Handicap presented by Lucid, a race for horses from IFHA Part II and Part III countries, has, for the first time, attracted runners from Belgium and Denmark in the form of Iradie (FR) and Hans Andersen (GB). The 2100m turf event also likely to see representation from Spain, Bahrain, Qatar, the Czech Republic and Saudi Arabia.

France is set to have two runners in the G1 Purebred Arabian turf outing, the $1.5m Al Mneefah Cup presented by the Ministry of Culture with Xavier Thomas Demeaulte having both Nabucco Al Maury (FR) and Lacaro Du Croate (FR) entered in a possible field of 13.

The Purebred Arabian dirt contest, the G1 $2m Obaiyah Arabian Classic presented by Al Hammadi Hospitals Group is likely to see strong representation from Saudi trainer, Naser Mutlaq who has Mubarizat Al Khalediah (KSA) and Bint Ghaliat Al Khalediah (KSA), while his rising star Nadem Al Molwk Al Khalediah (KSA) is also likely to start.

View & Download Likely Fields Link: https://tinyurl.com/SC2026-Likely-Fields