The $20 million Saudi Cup (G1) is Saturday, Feb. 14, at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and US Racing is publishing profiles of all the contenders.
You always know what you’re getting with this 7-year-old. Coming out of the gate, he immediately drops back to last. If the pace is moderate or slow, his late kick isn’t enough to make him a factor in the stretch. If the pace is fast, he can win, which he’s done 11 times in 30 starts.
He returns to the Saudi Cup (G1) after running a respectable fifth in last year’s renewal. He showed a liking for King Abdulaziz Racecourse in January 2025 when he won his prep, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup (G3).
“He likes a deeper, heavier track, and that’s what he gets over there,” trainer Kenny McPeek said.
Problems: Rattle N Roll has lost five of his last six races and is 1-for-6 in Grade 1s, with his only victory at that level coming in the Breeders’ Futurity in the fall of 2022, when he was a 2-year-old.
He’s been a money machine for Lucky Seven Stable, with a career bankroll of $3.6 million, more than $3.4 million above what he cost as a yearling.
McPeek, who won the 2024 Kentucky Derby (G1) with 18-1 shot Mystik Dan, loves a challenge. He’ll never find a more formidable opponent than defending Saudi Cup champion Forever Young.
Won’t win but could inflate the trifecta and superfecta if the pace is lively.
Notes: Rattle N Roll breezed 5 furlongs in 1:00.20, the morning’s fastest workout, on Jan. 30 at the Fair Grounds … He’s winless in his last five graded stakes and 1-for-6 in Grade 1 company … His durability is remarkable, with 30 starts at 13 tracks in his sixth season of competition … Rosario, a 2024 Hall of Fame inductee, won the 2013 Dubai World Cup (G1) and the 2013 Kentucky Derby.
Ed McNamara is an award-winning racing writer who has covered the sport since 1981 for The Bergen (N.J.) Record, Newsday, ESPN, Thorocap, and USRacing. He is the author of Cajun Racing: From the Bush Tracks to the Triple Crown and Racing Around the World, and a contributor to The Most Glorious Crown and The Racetracks of America. He has also written for racing publications in France and Italy.
