Ushba Tesoro can run down the favorites in the 2024 Saudi Cup
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One of the newest traditions in horse racing is also the richest race in the world: the $20 million Saudi Cup (G1), coming up Saturday, February 24 at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh. The 1,800-meter (about 1 ⅛-mile) race drew an overflow field of top horses, and with such a big field it will be one of the best betting horse races of the year!
Even though the Saudi Cup has only existed since 2020 and only had international Group 1 distinction since 2022, some of the best horses in the world have competed in the race. Horses from four different countries have won each of the races, including runners from the United States, England, Saudi Arabia, and Japan.
Keep reading to find out more about the entrants in the 2024 edition, the best horses to bet, and the best places to bet on the Saudi Cup online!
Betting the 2024 Saudi Cup Online
Before you bet a single dollar on the 2024 Saudi Cup, make sure to maximize your profits by enrolling with a trusted online racebook! All the options can make the decision seem difficult, but our online betting experts are here to help. Our online racebook reviews are here to help you get to know your options quickly and choose the best one for your betting style.
Every site we recommend has the basics of a great experience: real Vegas odds, trusted deposits and payouts, and smooth user interfaces. Every site also offers racebook bonuses better than anything you will find at the track, including deposit bonuses, referral benefits, and rebates that pay you money just for wagering on racing and sports!
Taking a few minutes now to get to know your options can earn you hundreds or even thousands of dollars for your bankroll, so make sure to check out your options today!
The Best Online Racebooks
These are the best online racebooks for playing the 2024 Saudi Cup:
Saudi Cup Handicapping
Now that you have your online betting account, it is time to see the field for the 2024 Saudi Cup and find out which ones should be part of your wagers!
Saudi Cup 2024 Field
This is the official field for the 2024 Saudi Cup in wagering number order, with trainers, jockeys, and post draws. Note that betting numbers in Saudi Arabia are different than post positions, so posts are noted separately.
- Carmel Road (Abdullah Albadah/Camillo Ospina) - post position 14
- Crown Pride (Koichi Shintani/Joao Moreira) - post position 6
- Defunded (Abdulaziz Mishref/Luis Saez) - post position 9
- Derma Sotogake (Hidetaka Otonashi/Christophe Lemaire) - post position 13
- Hoist the Gold (Dallas Stewart/John Velazquez) - post position 8
- Isolate (Doug Watson/Joel Rosario) - post position 2
- Lemon Pop (Hiroyasu Tanaka/Ryusei Sakai) - post position 3
- Meisho Hario (Inao Okada/Suguru Hamanaka) - NON-RUNNER
- National Treasure (Bob Baffert/Flavien Prat) - post position 7
- Power in Numbers (Ahmed Mohamoud/Adel Alfouraidi) - post position 10
- Saudi Crown (Brad Cox/Florent Geroux) - post position 5
- Senor Buscador (Todd Fincher/Junior Alvarado) - post position 4
- Ushba Tesoro (Noboru Takagi/Yuga Kawada) - post position 11
- White Abarrio (Richard Dutrow/Irad Ortiz, Jr.) - post position 1
- Scotland Yard (Mutaeb Almulawah) - post position 12
Scotland Yard was originally an also-eligible, but has drawn into the field with the Thursday defection of Meisho Hario.
Although racetracks and OTBs offer betting on the Saudi Cup, betting through those sources means you will not know your odds until the gates open. Furthermore, these options do not offer the excellent bonuses that an online sportsbook does.
Your best bet is to play at an online racebook. Since online racebooks offer fixed-odds wagering on major races, you can lock in the best price on your pick the moment you bet! Then, you can watch the race confident that the price when you bet is the price you’ll get when your horse wins.
These are the odds on horses at the top of the Saudi Cup market at recommended online racebooks:
 |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White Abarrio | +250 | +250 | +250 |
| Lemon Pop | +500 | +500 | +500 |
| Derma Sotogake | +575 | +575 | +575 |
| National Treasure | +650 | +650 | +650 |
| Ushba Tesoro | +700 | +700 | +700 |
Saudi Cup Favorites
The best bet in the Saudi Cup is Ushba Tesoro. In a race with so much speed drawn in, Ushba Tesoro brings the total package. He is an off-pace horse who can run a winning race from just off the pace, a true closing spot, or anywhere in between. He is also a proven shipper, as he was able to ship to Dubai last year and win the Dubai World Cup. He comes off a strong race in the Tokyo Daishoten and should be ready to show his best again.
Lemon Pop also brings a strong resume to the Saudi Cup. Even though he has a forward running style, he has shown the ability to be tactical, a positive with so much American speed like National Treasure and Saudi Crown likely to hit the gas. He stretched out well to nine furlongs in the Champions Cup last out, and may be the one the closers have to reel in late.
Breeders’ Cup Classic winner White Abarrio has been pointed to this race for months, and is well proven to be sharp off a layoff. The rail post is suboptimal, but unlike some of the other American stars he does not have to make the top to run a winning race. The distance suits, and if Irad Ortiz can keep him out of trouble his class should make him a factor from start to finish.
Saudi Cup Exotics Horses
In a race so laden with speed, Senor Buscador should be finishing well. He comes in off of a close second behind National Treasure in the Pegasus World Cup over a similar distance. And, with even more speed likely to unfold in this spot, he should get a similarly good setup. He has the consistency, form, and class, and he belongs in exotic and even each-way bets.
There is usually a Saudi local who finds the exotics in the country’s biggest race, and this year’s strongest candidate is Power In Numbers. He was just an ungraded-level horse in the United States, where he started his career, but he has won four straight in his new home of Saudi Arabia. It means he has class to prove, but he is consistent and, as an off-pace horse with versatility in where he can sit, he should get the right race flow.
2024 Saudi Cup Free Picks
You have your account to play the Saudi Cup online and you have gotten to know the field. Now all that’s left to do is the best part of all: place your bet!
These are the best bets for Saturday’s 2024 Saudi Cup:
- $20 to win - #13 Ushba Tesoro
- $10 each-way - #12 Senor Buscador
- $1 exacta key - #13 Ushba Tesoro with #7 Lemon Pop, #12 Senor Buscador
- $0.50 trifecta key - #13 Ushba Tesoro with #7 Lemon Pop, #10 Power in Numbers, #12 Senor Buscador, #14 White Abarrio
- $0.20 superfecta key - #13 Ushba Tesoro with #7 Lemon Pop, #10 Power in Numbers, #12 Senor Buscador, #14 White Abarrio
Saudi Cup Post Time
Post time for the 2024 Saudi Cup is scheduled for 8:40 pm Arabian Standard Time, or 12:40 pm Eastern, on Saturday, February 24. It is scheduled as the ninth and final race on King Abdulaziz’s Saturday card.
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