Local product and 99/1 moon shot Emblem Road beat Country Grammer by a half-length to claim the $10 million first prize from the $20 million purse. Emblem Road’s upset paid $229.20 in North American betting pools. He has run exclusively in Saudi Arabia and could ship over to Dubai for the March 26 Group 1 Dubai World Cup.

According to the DRF, that’s the next destination for Country Grammer. The 5-year-old Tonalist progeny hadn’t run in 250 days, or since winning the Hollywood Gold Cup last May at Santa Anita Park. Elliott Walden, the president of WinStar Farm, which owns Country Grammer, told the DRF he’s expected to join his stablemate, Life Is Good, in Dubai for the Dubai World Cup.

He’ll do so with $3.5 million added to his career earnings, courtesy of that runner-up finish.

Horseplayers taking a deep flier also added to their career earnings. The $2 exacta with Emblem Road and Country Grammer paid $1,938.60 in North American pari-mutuel pools. The $1 trifecta with Midnight Bourbon paid $8,799.40.

Midnight Bourbon headed to Dubai $2 million richer

Speaking of of Midnight Bourbon, Dubai is his next destination as well. He picked up $2 million for his 13th in-the-money finish in 15 races. That third, coming by 1 1/2 lengths, pushes Midnight Bourbon’s career earnings north of $3.15 million.

Awaiting all of them is Hot Rod Charlie, who has been in the Middle East since January. He prepped for the Dubai World Cup by winning a Feb. 4 tune-up race.

Heading in the other direction is Mandaloun, the North American betting favorite, who finished a disappointing ninth after being in contention entering the stretch. It was his worst finish since the newly minted Kentucky Derby champion finished a poor sixth in the Louisiana Derby nearly a year ago.

Time for Mandaloun to recharge, regroup

“Mandaloun will come home next week and regroup,” Juddmonte Farm General Manager Garrett O’Rourke told the DRF. “No obvious excuse, but not enough confidence to move forward as we know he’s much better than that.”

Also headed home is Art Collector, who finished 12th in the 14-horse field after a pace-pressing trip failed to sustain itself. That marked the second consecutive off-the-board finish after three straight victories. The son of Bernardini finished sixth in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic.

But Art Collector’s trainer, Bill Mott, will send Casa Creed to the Al Quoz Sprint in Dubai. That, after Art Collector’s stablemate finished second in the 1351 Sprint on the Saudi Cup undercard.

The other question mark involves Mishriff, who went from first in the 2021 Saudi Cup to 14th and worst in the 2022 edition. There was no word from trainers John and Thady Gosden regarding the 5-year-old’s next destination.

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Two years ago, in the first iteration of the $20 million race, it was the familiar site of Maximum Security crossing the finish line first. But last year, it was the unfamiliar (to most North American bettors) site of Mishriff upsetting the very-familiar Charlatan and Knicks Go.

And now, you know what awaits in Saturday’s third edition of the world’s richest race. Promoted to Group 1 status this year, the approximately 1 1/8-mile event offers a good mix of the familiar. Four American horses made the trek to King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh, where defending champion Mishriff awaits in defense of his title.

First among equals among the four American entries in the 14-horse field �?which also includes Breeders’ Cup Distaff winner Marche Lorraine �?is Mandaloun. The 5/2 favorite picked up his second Grade 1 victory while halfway around the world when stewards made the Kentucky Derby runner up the winner via the disqualification of Medina Spirit.

Mandaloun the one to beat

The Into Mischief 4-year-old opened his 2022 season with a solid three-quarters of a length victory over perpetual rival Midnight Bourbon at the Grade 3 Louisiana Stakes at Fair Grounds. Trainer Brad Cox couldn’t have drawn up a better trip if he tried. Mandaloun stalked the field going into the first turn, moved into second at the half-mile post, used the far turn to slingshot into a duel for the lead, then overtook pacesetter Midnight Bourbon in the final sixteenth.

The 115 Equibase Speed Figure coming out of that was a career best. And expect Cox and Florent Geroux to pull that same page out of the playbook here. He’ll let his American compatriots: Midnight Bourbon and Bob Baffert’s Country Grammar, carry the pace water early, then look to spring on the far turn.

Yes, Midnight Bourbon (4/1) is back, looking for that elusive third victory at yet another track. He’s 2-4 against Mandaloun in their four bouts and has finished second in five of his last eight races, including four of his last six. His last trip to the winner’s circle came 13 months ago at the Grade 3 Lecomte Stakes. You can count on the son of Tiznow to be near the lead, to leave everything on the track and to somehow find the board. Midnight Bourbon has missed the board only twice in 14 races.

Baffert doesn’t ship horses unless he’s confident

As for Country Grammer (12/1), the 5-year-old returns to the fray nine months after winning the Grade 1 Hollywood Gold Cup at Santa Anita. He missed the rest of 2021 with an injury and even with the Baffert factor, it’s a big ask for him to come to the Middle East and conquer this field. A moderate, unfettered pace is what he needs to have a chance.

The fourth American in the field, Art Collector (8/1), is the wild card. He’s won three of four races since moving over to Hall of Famer Bill Mott’s barn last year. Two of those were graded stakes: the Grade 1 Woodward and the Grade 2 Charles Town Classic. Art Collector’s speed figures make him competitive in any field. He clocked a career-best 121 Equibase at Charles Town and a 120 at the Woodward. but his inability to beat truly elite horses �?see his sixth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Classic �?is troubling.

That brings us to the international horses and a list that starts with defending champion Mishriff, who opens as the 9/2 third choice. He comes off a fourth in October’s Group 1 Champions Stakes at Ascot, but won three of his previous five races before that. His outside post (14) is slightly problematic, although trainer John Gosden dismissed concerns it would trouble his 5-year-old star. Much like he did last year turning aside Knicks Go and Charlatan, Mishriff will hang around Mandaloun and the other stalkers and wait to pounce.

Could Sealiway steal away this race?

Yes, Marche Lorraine (20/1) is there. But remember two things about the Breeders’ Cup Distaff heroine. First, she needed the mother of all pace meltdowns to steal that race at 49/1. And second, also here is fellow Japanese horse T O Keynes (10/1), who smashed Marche Lorraine easily when they raced last June. He comes in off a win in the Group 1 Champions Cup in Japan.

Along with Art Collector, the X factor here is French colt Sealiway (20/1). The powerful 4-year-old beat Mishriff in that Champions Stakes for his second Group 1 win. But between that and his Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere victory in October 2020, Sealiway owns two seconds, two fifths and an eighth. You have no idea what you’re going to get here. But under new trainer Francis Henri-Graffard â€�?one of Europe’s top rising conditioners — you get a horse who could do what Mishriff did here: break out in a very, very big way.

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Read that sentence back. Should Mishriff defend his Saudi Cup title, the 5-year-old Irish-bred, British-trained horse will surpass the $25 million earnings mark. He currently sits at $15,167,491.

Last year, Mishriff conquered a less-than-stellar field that was a mile wide and an inch deep in terms of depth. There was Knicks Go and Charlatan, both in-form and at the top of their games. And not much else.

Mishriff caught Knicks Go around one turn, which — as we saw there and later that year at the Met Mile at Belmont Park — was his weakness. The eventual Horse of the Year lost only two races last year: both one-turn events. He finished fourth.

Mishriff banked $14.1 million in 2021

From there, Mishriff outdueled a strong Charlatan down the stretch to claim the $10 million winner’s purse in an upset.

That propelled the son of Make Believe to a three-win 4-year-old season. Mishriff went 3-1-1 in his six 2021 races. The Saudi Cup just became a Group 1 race this year, but his other two victories came in Group 1 events: the Dubai Sheema Classic at Meydan and the International Stakes at York in August. Even putting aside his $10 million Saudi Cup windfall, Mishriff still banked more than $4.1 million.

This year, Mishriff has more to contend with. There’s Mandaloun, newly promoted to Kentucky Derby champion. There’s the always-in-the-mix Midnight Bourbon, who manages to hit boards despite not entering winner’s circles. There’s Bob Baffert’s Country Grammer, who does have the speed to contend here and does have the ability to snatch and grab this race if left alone.

Remember Art Collector? He’s back

There’s the always dangerous Art Collector, who had his three-race winning streak snapped with a sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. But the race before that, he won the Grade 1 Woodward Stakes with a 107 Beyer Speed Figure and 120 Equibase Speed Figure.

And there’s Japanese contender T O Keynes. The Japanese Racing Association Dirt Horse of the Year beat fellow Japanese runner Marche Lorraine — last seen winning the Breeders’ Cup Distaff — in a dirt race last June. Marche Lorraine is in the Saudi Cup field.

But making Mishriff’s record even more impressive, he’s run twice on dirt in 16 career races. He hasn’t missed the exacta yet: that first in the Saudi Cup and a second in the 2020 Saudi Derby on the inaugural Saudi Cup undercard.

Gosden put return ticket on Mishriff

“The plan has always been to come back again for The Saudi Cup, and it looks a mighty tough field, but so it should be,” said John Gosden, who trains Mishriff with his son, Thady.

It’s all about this beauty this wkend!#MISHRIFF #SAUDICUP pic.twitter.com/9XSE5xA4d0

— Scott C Wilcox (@FrontRunner100) February 24, 2022

In a way, Mishriff should find King Abdulaziz Racecourse to his liking. He’s owned by Prince A A Faisal, who named the horse after his former trainer. And the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia commissioned a short film: The Story of Mishriff, to honor the horse.

There is room for a sequel. Mishriff just has to write a similar ending.

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This week’s five-race sequence takes on a cross-global flavor. It features races from the home of the Saudi Cup — King Abdulaziz Racetrack in Riyadh — along with Aqueduct and Oaklawn Park.

This week’s sequence offers three stakes races: the Saudi Cup in Leg A, the ungraded Stymie Stakes from Aqueduct (Leg C) and the finale: the Grade 2 Rebel Stakes from Oaklawn.

It begins halfway across the world, at the Group 1 Saudi Cup, where you find an eclectic, international 14-horse field. There, you’ll find defending champion Mishriff, who upset Knicks Go and Charlatan in last year’s second running. Waiting for him is newly minted Kentucky Derby champion Mandaloun and his persistent rival Midnight Bourbon.

Remember Risk Taking? He’s here for the taking

Another large field tests bettors in the Cross Country Pick 5’s second leg: a deep, one-turn mile, allowance optional claimer at Aqueduct. The 13-horse field includes 2021 Withers Champion and Triple Crown trail runner Risk Taking. Trained by Chad Brown, Risk Taking is 2-for-3 at Aqueduct. He takes on stablemate Sound Money, coming off a winning allowance outing that came with a 97 Beyer Speed Figure.

Multiple stakes winner Captain Bombastic and graded stakes-placed Too Boss await both Brown charges.

The third leg stays at the Big A for the Stymie Stakes. Graded stakes winner Green Light Go is the favorite for this one-turn mile. He comes in off a nine-length dismantling of an allowance field that produced a career-best 101 Beyer. His chief challenge comes from Todd Pletcher’s Waxman, coming in off his nine-length allowance victory at Aqueduct.

Cross Country Pick 5 promises a Palace Coup

Oaklawn provides the last two legs of this Cross Country Pick 5. The first of those is an allowance mile testing horseplayers with a 12-horse field. Here, the options are plentiful, starting with four-time winner Palace Coup. We last saw him finishing second in an Oaklawn allowance.

Behind him, there’s Prioritization, arriving off his recent allowance win, and the consistent Pats Property, who missed the board once (2-2-0) in five starts.

Wrapping up the Cross Country Pick 5 is this week’s top Kentucky Derby prep: the $1 million Rebel Stakes. While bettors are parsing whether to use up a precious single with undefeated Bob Baffert charge Newgrange, upset candidates Barber Road, Un Ojo and Stellar Tap warrant consideration.

NYRA Cross Country Pick 5

Newgrange won the Grade 3 Sham Stakes at Santa Anita and the Grade 3 Southwest, the prep for the Rebel. Barber Road finished second in the Southwest, and Un Ojo second in the Grade 3 Withers at Aqueduct.

The Cross Country Pick 5 comes with a 50-cent minimum and 15% takeout. It’s available on ADW platforms and simulcast centers around the country. Every weekly wager comes with a mandatory payout of the net pool.

NYRA offers free Equibase past performances for all Cross Country Pick 5 runners here.

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“The only time he’s missed the break in his life was the Kentucky Derby, which was won by a horse (Medina Spirit) he breaks next to in the Preakness and runs into the ground,” Asmussen said.

Midnight Bourbon may not have missed many breaks out of the gate. But he hasn’t caught many at the finish line either. Nor has he given horseplayers waiting for his talent to break through any breaks. Now, Asmussen’s next attempt getting Midnight Bourbon that elusive Grade 1/Group 1 victory comes at the Feb. 26 $20 million Saudi Cup, the world’s richest race.

There, Midnight Bourbon not only gets rival Mandaloun for the seventh time — and second in a month — but also defending champion Mishriff. Last month, Mandaloun beat Midnight Bourbon for the fourth time in six races at the Louisiana Stakes at Fair Grounds.

Midnight Bourbon keeps asking for seconds

The three-quarter length setback at 6/5 gave Midnight Bourbon his third runner-up finish in his last four starts. He also finished second in the Pennsylvania Derby (to Hot Rod Charlie) and the Travers Stakes (to likely 3-year-old Champion Essential Quality). That all sandwiched a third as the 6/5 co-favorite (to Maxfield and Happy Saver) in December’s Grade 1 Clark Stakes at Churchill Downs.

Asmussen is nonplussed about this. He’s a grinder, so the fact Midnight Bourbon grinded his way to 12 in-the-money finishes in 14 races (2-6-4) tells the Hall of Fame trainer there is untapped talent there.

He vows to tap it going forward.

“He has an elite level of talent without finishing it off at this stage,” Asmussen said. He’s not had the success his ability would allow, but it also leaves a lot for us moving forward. He is still in a physical and mental development that I think allows for him to possibly end up being the best horse in training in the world this year.”

Asmussen all-in on his 4-year-old

That’s a bold statement, especially about a horse that hasn’t won a race in his last nine starts. Nobody said Asmussen wasn’t bullish about Midnight Bourbon or that he’s dodged anyone along the way. While Midnight Bourbon hasn’t won since capturing the Grade 3 Lecomte last January, he’s run in six Grade 1s since then.

He’s hit the board in four of them (0-3-1). Midnight Bourbon’s only board misses came in the Kentucky Derby, where he finished sixth, and the Haskell, where Hot Rod Charlie tripped him and he dumped jockey Paco Lopez. Midnight Bourbon came out of that near-catastrophic tumble into a gutsy second by a neck to Essential Quality in the Travers.

That, in turn, segued into that second by 2 1/4 lengths in the Pennsylvania Derby. Ricardo Santana Jr., Midnight Bourbon’s jockey, filed a protest after the race, claiming Hot Rod Charlie interfered at the top of the stretch. Stewards denied the appeal.

‘We just have to finish it off’

“I know from the preparation going into his last race, how he’s come out of it and how he’s worked since, that we are jumping forward,” Asmussen said. “His numbers are very competitive with any horse in the world — the numbers being the speed he has attained. We just have to finish it off.”

Asmussen was pleased with Midnight Bourbon’s 1:01.20, five-furlong breeze Sunday morning at Fair Grounds. He said he’ll look for something “a touch better, not significantly better” this Sunday. Then, Midnight Bourbon will van from New Orleans to Palm Meadows, Fla., before flying to the Middle East.

“It’s one thing after another, but it’s there. It just needs to come together,” Asmussen said. “I’m hoping beyond hope and expecting that he’s waiting for the Saudi Cup stage to put it all together perfectly.”

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The Daily Racing Form first reported the news. It quoted Juddmonte Farms racing manager Garrett O’Rourke, who said Mandaloun’s X-rays came back negative for any major damage. He underwent an examination at Saratoga. Juddmonte owns the 3-year-old son of Into Mischief on behalf of the Saudi Royal Family.

O’Rourke told the DRF that Mandaloun will get the next six weeks off. If everything checks out medically, he could come back for late fall races, but O’Rourke said a more realistic target is the 2022 Saudi Cup. O’Rourke told the DRF the Saudi Royal Family wants him in that $20 million race on Feb. 14.

Trainer Brad Cox originally targeted the Aug. 28 Grade 1 Travers Stakes as Mandaloun’s likely next outing. The Sept. 25 Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby at Parx served as Plan B. Either way, that progression naturally led into the Nov. 6 Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del Mar. Instead, Mandaloun heads to Juddmonte’s Kentucky farm for R&R.

The last time we saw Mandaloun on the track, he was promoted to first in the July 17 Haskell Stakes at Monmouth Park. That came after Hot Rod Charlie, who nipped Mandaloun by a nose in a thrilling finish, was disqualified for interfering with Midnight Bourbon mid-stretch.

Mandaloun tuned up for that race by winning the Listed Pegasus Stakes at Monmouth on June 13. His previous start before that was his Kentucky Derby runner-up finish at 26/1 to Medina Spirit. He could wind up being promoted to first in the Derby if Medina Spirit is disqualified for excessive amounts of the anti-inflammatory betamethasone.

The Bob Baffert charge tested positive for the medication, which is legal, but can’t be in a horse’s system on race day. The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission has yet to overturn the official �?for now �?results.

Mandaloun hits the shelf with a 5-1-1 record and $1,651,252 in eight starts. The Haskell marked his first Grade 1 victory.

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The top-ranked horse in the world, according to the Longines rankings, Mishriff comes into the 1 ¼-mile race as the 13/8 favorite. He does so looking for his third Group 1 victory of 2021, seeking validation for his Saudi Cup victory over American standouts Charlatan and Knicks Go, and his Dubai Sheema Classic win a month later.

And he does so in a race with several milestones. The Eclipse forms part of the British Champions Series, which includes 35 races over five divisions, culminating in Champions Day at Ascot in October. One of the Middle Distance Division races, the Eclipse also marks the first time 3-year-olds take on their elders. Until now, sophomores were limited to running against their age group in such races as the 2,000 Guineas, Epsom Derby, and Coronation Stakes.

At one time, the Eclipse �?named after the iconic 18th-century stallion who won all 18 of his races �?was Britain’s richest race. It no longer holds that title, but does offer a healthy £600,000 purse.

Mishriff banked $12.9 million in 2021

Mishriff is playing with house money. His $10 million payday for winning February’s Saudi Cup, and his $2.9 million haul for capturing the Dubai Sheema Classic on the Dubai World Cup undercard, already make him the envy of the racing world.

The son of Make Believe has made true believers out of horseplayers. He comes into the Eclipse on a two-race winning streak and owns five victories in his last six races, dating to his Prix du Jockey Club win at Chantilly nearly a year ago. Mishriff is 6-1-1 in his 10 career races and his favorite status for Saturday’s race was burnished when stablemate Lord North bowed out with a throat infection.

That leaves this year’s Prix du Jockey Club winner, St. Mark’s Basilica, as Mishriff’s closest pursuer, according to the bookmakers. One of three Aidan O’Brien entries, St. Mark’s Basilica sits at 7/4 by race sponsor Coral.

O’Brien sends out three in quest of Eclipse No. 6

O’Brien also sends out Japan and Armory, who finished third in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot two weeks ago. A victory by one of O’Brien’s trio would give the Irish trainer his sixth Eclipse winner, tying him with Alec Taylor Jr. and Sir Michael Stoute. O’Brien hasn’t captured an Eclipse in 10 years.

The other serious threat to Mishriff comes from Addeybb, last seen winning the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Australia’s Randwick in April. The 7-year-old gelding seeks two things: his favored soft turf, which would enhance his chances at a victory, and to become the oldest winner in event history.

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That comes a little over a month after the 4-year-old went on the shelf after a Churchill Downs workout. That last workout came May 15. Not surprisingly, it was a bullet 59-second, five-furlong work that was the fastest of 42 horses at that distance that day.

But afterwards, something was amiss with the son of Speightstown. Five days later, Sol Kumin of Madaket Stables, one of seven ownership entities for the colt, said Charlatan “wasn’t 100 percent after his most recent breeze.�?Kumin told the Daily Racing Form that Charlatan was headed to a Kentucky farm for R&R.

Meanwhile, Kumin and the rest of Charlatan’s connections said at that time they would make a decision on his racing career in late June. The undisclosed physical setback that put Charlatan on the shelf apparently was serious enough to imperil what should be a stellar stallion career.

‘One of the most talented horses I have seen run’

“Horses with Charlatan’s immense ability, combined with superior pedigree, conformation, depth of female family and star-quality appeal are a very rare commodity,�?John Sikura, president of Hill ‘n’ Dale said in a statement. “He is one of the most talented horses I have seen run, who combines world-class sprinter/miler speed with the ability to carry it around two turns. He is a striking individual who should impart size, substance, balance and brilliance to his foals.�?/p>

Those lofty words are based on Charlatan’s brief, but brilliant, racing career. He raced only five times, partly a byproduct of an ankle injury in late May 2020 that pulled him off the Kentucky Derby Trail. Before then, however, Charlatan won his first three races by a combined 22 lengths. That included a 10 ¼-length allowance romp and a six-length blitzing of one Arkansas Derby division.

Charlatan returned from injury in December like he never left. He tore apart the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes on Santa Anita Park’s opening day, beating a field of stakes winners by 4 ½ lengths.

Charlatan lost to one horse in five races

With that, trainer Bob Baffert dialed him into the late February Saudi Cup. That set up what promised to be an epic duel with Knicks Go. Instead, English horse Mishriff crashed the party, becoming the only horse to beat Charlatan across a finish line. He finished second and was ready for more when he suffered that setback.

A $700,000 purchase at the 2018 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Charlatan earned $4,047,200 in those five races. Testifying to the open-air ATM qualities of the Saudi Cup, Charlatan earned $3.5 million of that for his runner-up finish. He banked only $547,200 for his four victories combined.

Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings bred Charlatan and Stonestreet Farm was one of the seven entities with a piece of the colt. That group included Madaket and Stonestreet, along with SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Golconda Stables, Fred Hertich III and John Fielding.

‘A real athlete’

“Physically, he’s one of the best physical horses we’ve ever bred,�?Stonestreet Farm bloodstock adviser John Moynihan said. “What sets him apart is the way he moves. He moves like a great horse. He is just a real athlete. He is the epitome of what we’ve tried to breed up to this point. Charlatan is a perfect combination of the genes meeting the physical.�?/p>

Hill ‘n’ Dale has not decided on a stud fee.

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The Daily Racing Form reported the news Thursday. They quoted a text from Sol Kumin, one of Charlatan’s owners in the multi-group consortium that owns the 4-year-old.

“Charlatan wasn’t 100 percent after his most recent breeze on May 15,�?Kumin texted the DRF. “Under veterinary advice, he will get some time off and a decision on his racing career will be determined upon reevaluation (in) late June.�?/p>

Charlatan worked out last Saturday at Churchill Downs. He clocked a 59-second five-furlong breeze that was the fastest time among 42 runners at that distance on Saturday. After the setback, the DRF reports Charlatan is now resting and recuperating at Margaux Farm in Midway, Kentucky.

Charlatan’s next start was TBD

The Speightstown colt’s next start was up in the air. Originally, Baffert targeted the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap on the June 5 Belmont Stakes undercard. That mile race with its $1 million purse and rich history was the perfect spot for Charlatan.

But the New York Racing Association closed that gate when it suspended Baffert from racing or stabling his horses at NYRA tracks. That decision came after Baffert’s five medication positives over the last year. His fifth was Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit’s post-Derby positive test for excessive amounts of the anti-inflammatory betamethasone.

Charlatan accounted for one of those positives. He tested positive for excessive amounts of lidocaine after winning the first division of the Arkansas Derby last May. Arkansas racing officials originally disqualified him, but Baffert successfully appealed the decision and the Arkansas Racing Commission restored his victory.

More than 86% of earnings came from the Saudi Cup

As a 4-year-old, Charlatan has one start on his resume, which resulted in his runner-up finish to Mishriff in February’s $20 million Saudi Cup. That marked his only defeat in five career starts, but accounts for $3.5 million of his $4,047,200 in career earnings in those five starts.

Before that, Charlatan came out of a seven-month layoff to blitz a strong Malibu Stakes field at Santa Anita Park on Dec. 26. He returned from that 4 1/2-length Grade 1 victory after going on the shelf in late May with an ankle injury.

Kumin’s Madaket Stables is one of seven entities with a piece of Charlatan. The ownership group includes some of the most powerful stables in racing, with stakes held by SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Stonestreet Stables, Golconda Stables, Fred Hertich III, and John Fielding.

Last May, that consortium sold Charlatan’s breeding rights to Hill ‘n’ Dale Farm in Lexington, Kentucky. for an undisclosed amount.

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Trainer Brad Cox announced Knicks Go’s next go-moment during a National Thoroughbred Racing Association call on Thursday. Lone Star Park in the Dallas suburbs isn’t exactly center stage for one of the top older horses in North America.

But Cox sees the Grade 3, two-turn mile as the perfect return engagement for the Paynter offspring.

“We feel he’s better around two turns. It’s a graded stakes, and I feel like it’s a great opportunity, or a great race to get him started back post-Middle East,�?Cox said on the call. “Once again, you’re hopeful that they come back and perform after the long trip on the other side of the world.�?/p>

Recovery time crucial after worldly travels

That’s always a concern for horses returning from winter sojourns halfway around the world. Some recover better than others. Some struggle to find their previous form.

In Knicks Go’s case, he needed all the time off Cox could give him. Knicks Go came into the 1 1/8-mile Saudi Cup with the invincible aura of a runaway freight train. A month earlier, he captured the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park. That came barely two months after he blitzed the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile field by 3 ½ lengths in record time.

A month before that, in early October, Knicks Go dissected an allowance optional claiming field at Keeneland by 10 ¼ lengths. That race brought Knicks Go back from a 7 ½-month layoff following a February allowance optional claiming victory at Oaklawn Park.

Saudi Cup a bridge too far for Knicks Go

The Saudi Cup’s nine furlongs seemed to be a race too far. Knicks Go and Charlatan were the overwhelming favorites for the $20 million race, the two pacesetters, and the race’s primary speed. But their speed duel wiped out Knicks Go in early stretch and took enough out of Charlatan for English horse Mishriff to pull the upset. He passed both down the stretch for the victory.

Meanwhile, Knicks Go finished fourth, 8 ½ lengths back.

Since then, Cox put Knicks Go through four April workouts at Churchill Downs. His most recent, a moderate 1:02.00 clocking for five furlongs on April 30.

His most impressive: a bullet 36.6-second clocking for three furlongs on April 9. That was his first work since the Saudi Cup.

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