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$20 Million Saudi Cup Contender: USHBA TESORO (JPN)

A field of 14 has been entered for the $20 million Saudi Cup (G1) on Saturday at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – the world’s richest horse race.  usracing.com is posting profiles of the starters.

USHBA TESORO (JPN)

Before shipping to North America for a fifth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1), this 7-year-old son of Orfevre (Jpn) racked up an impressive win streak of six stakes, most notably the Dubai World Cup (G1) at Meydan 11 months ago. He is a two-time winner of the Tokyo Daishoten (G1), the most recent he’s using as a springboard into this race.

Japan’s Ushba Tesoro put his name on the international racing map with his win in the 2023 Dubai World Cup

A consummate professional, he settled into his surroundings at King Abdulaziz Racetrack and hasn’t turned a hair, according to his connections.

“He has been relaxed and getting used to the new surroundings since he has arrived. He has a great balance with his conformation and he looks great,” assistant trainer Masakazu Fukami said.

2024 Saudi Cup Contender Odds and Post Position: Ushba Tesoro

Post position: 11

Odds: 10-1 (unofficial US Racing Team odds)

Jockey: Yuga Kawada

Trainer: Noboru Takagi

Owner: Ryotokuji Kenji Holdings Company Ltd.

Age: 6

Career record: 32-11-1-5

Career earnings: $10,427,477

Last race: Tokyo Daishoten (G1), 1st

Top Equibase speed figure: 112

Pedigree: Orfevre (Jpn)—Millefeui Attach (Jpn), by King Kamehameha (Jpn)

Color: Bay

Running Style: mid-pack/closer

Notes: He’s won a third of his career races, most of which came in non-group stakes in his native Japan. He burst onto the international racing scene with his Dubai World Cup (G1) win and garnered a ton of support for the Breeders’ Cup Classic last year, where he was fifth as the 7-2 third choice in a talented international field… he was initially a turf horse with only moderate success… has a tail-female that includes four mares from the powerful Phipps family, all of which were foaled and raised at Claiborne Farm in Paris, Kentucky… his owner, Kenji Ryotokugi, founded a university in Japan in 2006…

2024 Saudi Cup Odds and Contenders
PP Horse Jockey Trainer Owner Odds
1 White Abarrio Irad Ortiz, Jr Rick Dutrow, Jr. C2 Racing Stable LLC and La Milagrosa Stable, LLC 3-1
2 Isolate Joel Rosario Doug Watson RRR Racing 15-1
3 Lemon Pop Ryusei Sakai Hiroyasu Tanaka Godolphin 15-1
4 Senor Buscador Junior Alvarado Todd Fincher Joe R. Peacock, Jr 10-1
5 Saudi Crown Florent Geroux Brad Cox SFMQ Stables 8-1
6 Crown Pride Joao Moreira Koichi Shintani Teruya Yoshida 20-1
7 National Treasure Flavien Prat Bob Baffert F Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Masterson, Robert E., Stonestreet Stables LLC, Schoenfarber, Jay A., Waves Edge Capital LLC and Donovan, Catherine 9-2
8 Hoist the Gold John Velazquez Dallas Stewart Dream Team One Racing Stable 30-1
9 Defunded Luis Saez Abdulaziz K Mishref Pegram, Michael E., Watson, Karl and Weitman, Paul 25-1
10 Power in Numbers Adel Alfouraidi Ahmed Mohamoud Klaravich Stables, Inc. 30-1
11 Ushba Tesoro Yuga Kawada Noboru Takagi Ryotokuji Kenji Holdings Co. Ltd. 10-1
12 Meisho Hario Suguru Hamanaka Inao Okada Yoshio Matsumoto 20-1
13 Derma Sotogake Christophe Lemaire Hidetaka Otonashi Hiroyuki Asanuma 6-1
14 Carmel Road Camillo Ospina Abdullah Albadah SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Masterson, Robert E., Stonestreet Stables LLC, Schoenfarber, Jay A., Waves Edge Capital LLC and Donovan, Catherinetd> 25-1
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