The Saudi Cup is one of the newest entries to the world racing calendar. It was first run in 2020, and just got international Group 1 status this year. A proven dirt horse, Maximum Security, won its first running. However, in its second year, top turf horse Mishriff won the top prize.
Will Mishriff be able to repeat from the far outside gate? Will a dirt star-like Mandaloun, T O Keynes, or Midnight Bourbon upset him? Will a grass horse like Sealiway make the surface switch?
Betting the Saudi Cup Online
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Saudi Cup Handicapping
With your account at an online sportsbook at the ready, let’s get to know the field in the 2022 Saudi Cup!
Saudi Cup Field 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
Leading into the race, the best online sportsbooks will offer odds on each of these horses. As a bettor, it will be good for you to keep an eye on what each sportsbook is offering, and lock in your bet when you see an overlay on a horse who can win the race. With 14 horses in the field, the chance of a lucrative overlay is high!
These are the current odds at the top of the market at the top online betting sites:
| Horse |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Mishriff | +400 | +410 |
| Mandaloun | +650 | +675 |
| T O Keynes | +900 | +950 |
| Art Collector | +1000 | +1000 |
| Midnight Bourbon | +1100 | +1100 |
Top Saudi Cup Contenders
Mandaloun is the horse to beat in the 2022 Saudi Cup. A top American dirt horse, he comes in off of a smart victory over Midnight Bourbon in the Louisiana (G3). The distance suits him well, he has good tactical speed, and his Saudi-based ownership (Juddmonte) suggests he has been pointing to this specific race for a very long time.
For those who like to play longer shots, Art Collector has a good shot at bigger odds. He is a perfect 5-for-5 at a mile and an eighth. His gate should help him get a sweet outside stalking trip. And, his rider Luis Saez has already proven he can ride the King Abdulaziz dirt, given that he won the race two years ago.
Mishriff, last year’s winner, has a fighting chance to repeat. Though he has not run since last autumn, it is the same layoff off of which he came last year when he won the race. He has the versatility to work out a good trip no matter how the race unfolds, and he has already proven he can handle the footing over this racetrack.
Saudi Cup Exotic Possibilities
Though Midnight Bourbon will have no shortage of win backers, he makes more sense underneath. After all, even when he makes the lead (which he should do this time), someone else always seems to run him down. Last out, it was Mandaloun, who it may well be again. With no wins (but three underneath shares) at a mile and an eighth, he is a smarter play underneath again.
Two longer shots also have real appeal in the Saudi Cup exotics.
Emblem Road is a Saudi local who has three straight wins, including two over this course. With good middle-to-Classic American dirt breeding, he could be the live local who blows up the trifecta like Great Scot did last year. T O Keynes, the better of the two Japanese horses, is his country’s top dirt horse, and also a well-proven mile-and-an-eighth specialist.
Free Saudi Cup Bets
Here are your best bets for the 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
