'It's on everyone's radar'; How will the Saudi Cup field be set?
Upon hearing details of the new $20 million Saudi Cup and supporting undercard, Nick Elser, an agent for the International Racing Bureau, encouraged race officials to reserve more room on incoming international flights. And it’s a good thing he did.
“It’s been impressive the phone calls and interest I’m getting,” Esler said this week. “It’s on everyone’s radar.”
The Feb. 29 race, at 1 1/8 miles on dirt, sandwiches on the calendar between the $9 million Pegasus World Cup (G1) and the $12 million Dubai World Cup (G1). In becoming the world’s richest horse race, “Everyone that’s at the top of the division, we’ve had interest from,” Esler said.
The list of American names includes Breeders’ Cup Classic runner-up McKinzie, likely Eclipse Award-winning filly Midnight Bisou, top 3-year-old Maximum Security and Tacitus, who should be a hometown favorite at King Abdulaziz Racetrack in Riyadh wearing the Juddmonte Farms colors.
Those type of horse figure to be locks in a field that should fill to its 14-runner limit. The Pegasus’ Top 3 finishers will also earn automatic invitations, while two slots will be reserved for Saudi American-based contenders.
Horse Racing Nation’s Stakes Tracker already notes 15 American horses whose connections have expressed interest in the Saudi Cup. That could make the task difficult for Phil Smith, the longtime British Horseracing Authority handicapper who Esler said will rate Saudi Cup nominees and determine preferences for which horses qualify.
“They kind of want to work with everyone, so that’s why the three places from the Pegasus were written into the conditions of the race, and then it’s a natural steppingstone to Dubai,” Esler said.
The undercard, with stakes nearing $7 million for Thoroughbreds, should also prove to be an attraction for American connections. Just this week, for instance, trainer Jorge Navarro said his 3-year-old sprinter Shancelot will target a Saudi Cup-Dubai World Cup day double.
Given the expected fanfare, Esler said Saudi Cup officials are “in talks with a couple of big networks” with the plan to broadcast races to an international audience. How or if U.S. citizens will be able to bet on the races remains unknown.
With Saudi Arabia a new destination for American horsemen, the International Racing Bureau will take on increased importance.
“We liaise as a point of contact and make everything run smoothly in a foreign country where they don’t necessarily know the rules and procedures,” Esler said.
There will be cultural differences, too. Just this week, the Los Angeles Times published an editorial by MIT researcher John Tirman, in which he wrote that the money offered by the Saudis “should be resisted.” He called the Saudi Cup an example of “sportswashing,” the act of a government improving its reputation through athletics.
“At some point, the leading lights of the racing industry will have to take moral responsibility for lending legitimacy to thuggish regimes like the Emirates and Saudi Arabia,” Tirman wrote.
Take that for what it's worth, too, as MIT is a leader in American universities taking donations from Saudi sources, having accepted millions.
Esler said he’s been “privy to quite a lot of the meetings from the get go” as it pertains to the Saudi Cup.
“It’s coming from the top down,” he said. “It’s a way for the country to try and open up its circle a bit to the western world. Everything’s going to be taken care of. Everyone will be welcome when they get there.
“It’s a chance for the Saudis to show off their culture and show off the vision for their country. They also want to include the quality of racing through their season so maybe they can have some sort of international carnival like Dubai.”
Esler added that the Saudi Cup is viewed as a multiyear commitment, “so there’s going to be a lot of emphasis on everything going off right and smoothly. Next year, hopefully we can expand on it.”