Rowan Ward
Saturday, February 26, the horse racing calendar features the richest Thoroughbred event in the entire world: the $20 million Saudi Cup (G1)! Run at 1,800 meters (about 1 ⅛ miles) on the dirt at King Abdulaziz Racetrack, the race drew a field of 14 of the best. Some of the world’s top dirt horses are lining up, in addition to some turf superstars who want to prove their versatility for the biggest purse ever.
The Saudi Cup is one of the newest top-level races: it was first run in 2020, and first granted international Group 1 status this year. American dirt runner Maximum Security won the first running. The next year, British turf star Mishriff showed his dirt ability, defeating his foes who had more experience on dirt.
Will Mishriff be able to repeat and become the first two-time Saudi Cup winner? Will a dirt star like Mandaloun or T O Keynes take the title? Will a top turf horse like Sealiway prevail? With a completely new face break out onto the world stage?
Read on to find out who to bet, and where you should bet them!
Where to Bet the Saudi Cup
Before placing your bet on the Saudi Cup, you first need to create your betting account. You have many choices for places to bet the Saudi Cup online. Our wagering experts are here for you, and can help you find the right one quickly and easily. Read their trusted reviews of the top online sportsbooks, which will help you make a confident choice!
All of our recommended sportsbooks have excellent user interfaces, trustworthy deposits and cash-outs, and excellent Las Vegas odds. Many also offer online betting apps if you like to place your bets on the go. Different sites offer different racebook sign-up bonuses and incentives, so it makes sense to compare and find which one suits your betting style best.
Once you have made your accounts, then you’re ready to make money betting the 2022 Saudi Cup!
Saudi Cup Horses and Odds
This is the official field for the 2022 Saudi Cup in wagering number order, with trainers, jockeys, and post draws.
- Aero Trem (Antonio Perera/Vagner Leal) – post 2
- Art Collector (Bill Mott/Luis Saez) – post 9
- Country Grammer (Bob Baffert/Flavien Prat) – post 1
- Emblem Road (Mitab Almulawah/Wiggy Ramos)- post 5
- Magny Cours (Andre Fabre/Mickael Barzalona) – post 7
- Making Miracles (Mitab Almulawah/Alexis Moreno) – post 10
- Mandaloun (Brad Cox/Florent Geroux) – post 6
- Midnight Bourbon (Steve Asmussen/Joel Rosario) – post 3
- Mishriff (John and Thady Gosden/David Egan) – post 14
- Real World (Saeed Bin Suroor/Frankie Dettori) – post 4
- Sealiway (Francis Henri Graffard/Ryan Moore) – post 11
- Secret Ambition (Satish Seemar/Tadgh O’Shea) – post 12
- Marche Lorraine (Yohito Yashagi/Christophe Soumillon) – post 13
- T O Keynes (Daisuke Takayanagi/Kohei Matsuyama) – post 8
- Great Scot (no rider assigned/Abdulrahman Al Kahtani) – also eligible
- Alkhateeb (no rider assigned/M. Aldugish) – also eligible
These are the odds on the top horses in the market at several top online sportsbooks. These sites will let you lock in your odds the moment you bet, meaning you are guaranteed the best odds when you place your wager. Make sure to bet when you find an overlay on the horse you think will win the race, and then you can watch the race confident that you have the best odds!
 |  |  |
|
| Mishriff | +225 | +240 | +250 |
| Mandaloun | +400 | +350 | +350 |
| T O Keynes | +650 | +750 | +550 |
| Art Collector | +800 | +700 | +800 |
| Midnight Bourbon | +800 | +800 | +1000 |
| Country Grammer | +1200 | +1200 | +1000 |
Free Saudi Cup Picks
With your betting account created, now it is time to learn more about the horses entered in the race. Let’s handicap the 2022 Saudi Cup!
Saudi Cup Win Candidates
The likely favorite in the Saudi Cup, and for good reason, is Mandaloun. Coming off of a win against fellow Saudi Cup contestant Midnight Bourbon, Mandaloun has the speed to make the early running. He does well at a mile and an eighth, and can race well at many different tracks.
It also doesn’t hurt that, while American-based, Mandaloun is owned by a Saudi interest, Juddmonte, who probably wants to see their horse do well on home turf. He was almost certainly pointed here very specifically.
Another who could win the race, assuming he held his form over a break, is defending champion Mishriff. He is mired on the far outside gate, but he has the versatility to win this and the tactical speed to keep even American-style frontrunners in range. Though he has not run since October, he won the Saudi Cup off of the exact same layoff last year.
If you are interested in betting a longer shot on the win end, there is a great argument to make for Art Collector as well. He has never lost in five starts at a mile and an eighth, making 1,800 meters perfect for him. He has tactical speed from a draw toward the outside, and his jockey Luis Saez won the Saudi Cup over this track two years ago.
Strong Exotics Candidates
Midnight Bourbon does a lot of finishing second and third in the United States, including three underneath finishes in four tries at a mile and an eighth. He will probably make the early running, and though he often stays on for a share, he usually gets run down by someone a little too good in the late stages. Don’t play him to win, but he is a strong exotic candidate if he holds form.
T O Keynes and Emblem Road are the others to consider for exotics.
T O Keynes, Japan’s champion dirt horse last year, has yet to travel — but Japanese horses have been doing better than ever on the international stage as of late, and T O Keynes was as consistent and classy a dirt horse as Japan saw last year.
Emblem Road raises echoes of Great Scot: an in-form Saudi horse who can run on for a share underneath at a huge price. He has won three in a row, including two at King Abdulaziz. Though he isn’t the best horse out of the gate, he reliably finds a good late run, and though he has never gone this far he has so much middle-to-Classic distance American dirt pedigree that he should love it.
Saudi Cup Free Picks
Now that you know about the race and the best horses in the field, there’s only one thing left to do: place your bets! Here are the best bets for Saturday’s 2022 Saudi Cup:
- $20 to win – #7 Mandaloun
- $10 each way – #2 Art Collector
- $1 exacta key – #7 Mandaloun with #2 Art Collector, #8 Midnight Bourbon, #9 Mishriff
- $0.50 trifecta key – #7 Mandaloun with #2 Art Collector, #4 Emblem Road, #8 Midnight Bourbon, #9 Mishriff
- $0.20 superfecta key – #7 Mandaloun with #2 Art Collector, #4 Emblem Road, #8 Midnight Bourbon, #9 Mishriff, #13 T O Keynes
