The USD $20M Saudi Cup, the highlight of the Saudi Cup weekend at King Abdulaziz (Race 8 - Saturday, February 26), is a global Group 1 flat race held over 1800m and is the richest race in the world.

Won in 2021 by HRH Prince Abdul Rahman Al Faisal's global superstar, Mishriff, now one of the most famous horses in the world, The Saudi Cup is beamed into more than 350 million homes worldwide.

It is shown in every corner of the globe from the USA and Europe to China, South America and Southeast Asia. For the 2022 Saudi Cup the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia is throwing open the gates and inviting spectators to join us at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh to witness firsthand the third running of this spectacular horse race. Extra interest will be provided locally by the return of the globetrotting Mishriff, who will attempt to defend his Saudi Cup crown.

As well as The Saudi Cup, the raceday also features five highly regarded Group 3 races on both dirt and turf, the Group 2 Obaiya Arabian Classic for Purebred Arabian racehorses and the Jockey Club Handicap for locally-trained horses.

Mishriff first announced himself on the international stage in the Saudi Derby two years ago and he has hardly looked back since. An outsider that day despite a 10-length win in a Nottingham maiden at two, Mishriff found only the Japanese-trained Full Flat too good for him in the 1600 metres dirt race. He was clearly a colt going places, and confirmed it with an impressive return to the United Kingdom in a Listed race at Newmarket.

The Newmarket win was followed by Classic success in France when Mishriff beat The Summit in the Prix du Jockey Club. However, it was his international exploits as a four-year-old last year which established him not only as the jewel in the crown of Prince Faisal's racing operation, but as a major player on the global stage, with wins in the Saudi Cup, the world's richest horserace, the Sheema Classic in Dubai and the Juddmonte International Stakes taking his earnings beyond the £11m mark.

Bred by Prince Faisal's Nawara Stud and the product of a mating between two horses who also carried the Prince's silks, the hugely talented son of Make Believe is a shining example of the double delight that can be enjoyed by owners who also breed, and he is a rarity in that he has done it on different surfaces, on different continents, and on very different tracks.

A tilt at the Saudi Cup had always been the long-term plan for Mishriff after his second in the Saudi Derby, but despite having shown his liking for both the style of racing in Saudi Arabia and the dirt surface he faced formidable opposition in the shape of outstanding American dirt performers Charlatan and Knicks Go, who were expected to dominate, plus a clutch of fellow internationals.

Ridden for the first time in almost a year by David Egan, who is Prince Faisal's retained rider but had been unable to fulfil that role regularly owing to COVID restrictions and other complications, Mishriff settled in a good position behind the pace-setting American pair from his wide draw and kept them in his sights from the word go.

He took the measure of Knicks Go rounding the home turn, and went after Charlatan in the straight. Charlatan proved a much tougher opponent than his compatriot on the day, but Mishriff could not have been more determined and he wore down Bob Baffert's colt inside the last furlong before going on to win by a length. It was a massive moment for all concerned, especially young Egan, who was born into racing and has lived and breathed it all his life.

Egan said: "It's unbelievable. I've been dreaming all my life of winning a race like this. Obviously, it is the highest thing I will win for a while now; the Saudi Cup is the richest race in the world. I'd like to thank Prince Faisal, Mr Gosden and all of his team.

John Gosden was delighted too, particularly as his son Thady, soon to be joint licence holder, had travelled with the colt to oversee preparations.

"Full marks to my team," he said. "His owner/breeder always wanted him to come back for the Saudi Cup. He ran well here last year and through the year except for at Ascot on bottomless ground - otherwise he has a superb record. The team in Newmarket did a very good job with him through the winter, and then Thady and the team did a great job out in Saudi.

"I think there are very few horses that can switch surfaces like that. I would have to say enormous thanks to the whole of the Saudi Jockey Club for putting on such an amazing day's racing. The turf track is superb and I have always been told by the top American jockeys and by Frankie Dettori that this is the best main dirt sand track in the world. I think that is very much proven today, that a turf horse can actually switch to it. So many dirt tracks are too loose, with horrible kickback, but this is a very good test for the thoroughbred."

Mishriff is back bidding for a repeat win, and if successful he will surpass Australian super mare Winx as the highest earning racehorse in history. However he fares here, he is so tough, versatile and classy that there is every chance he will overtake Winx somewhere before the end of the year.

Saudi Cup 2022 Lures Back Marche Lorraine

Horse racing is booming in Japan, with tens of thousands flocking regularly to the races at Hanshin and Tokyo to witness sport of the highest quality and top-level international success for Japanese- trained runners becoming relatively commonplace.

However, until last year Japanese success at the Breeders' Cup proved elusive. That all changed at Del Mar on November 6, when trainer Yoshito Yahagi scored a breakthrough win with Loves Only You in the Filly And Mare Turf and then doubled up on dirt barely two hours later when her stable-mate Marche Lorraine held on by a nose for a huge upset in the Breeders' Cup Distaff.

A daughter of Orfevre, a horse best known for finishing second in two renewals of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, Marche Lorraine carries the colours of U Carrot Farm - an affiliate of the powerful Northern Farm breeding empire.

Retirement was on the cards after her historic Del Mar success, but the lure of the Saudi Cup has proved too tempting for connections, Yahagi revealing that the mare has been showing all the right signs at home and saying: "She needed to have a period to relieve fatigue and spent an easy time at the Shigaraki Branch of Northern Farm. She returned to my barn at Ritto Training Centre on January 27."

The Japanese are no strangers to success at the Saudi Cup meeting and they stand alone as the only nation to win the Saudi Derby, with the Hideyuki Mori-trained pair of Full Flat and Pink Kamehameha victorious in 2020 and 2021 respectively. In addition, the William Buick ridden Copano Kicking was victorious in the Dirt Sprint last year for Akira Murayama.

Marche Lorraine was no superstar in Japan but she consistently showed useful form, gaining a breakthrough first Listed win from a big field at Ohi in October 2020 under Yuga Kawada before finishing third in the JBC Ladies' Classic, a local Group 1, which consistently attracts some of Japan's best fillies.

Further progress followed with the turn of the new year, and after two more Listed wins Marche Lorraine was sent for the Teio Sho, a race which has often crowned the best dirt horse in Japan, where she performed to a fair level in mid-division, possibly not appreciating the muddy conditions that blunted her speed.

Returned to a sounder surface next time out at Mombetsu for what is likely to have been her final start in Japan, she won the Breeders Cup Gold, a local Group 3 run on dirt, in which she beat Rinen Fashion cosily by half a length and earned herself the trip to Del Mar.

Although she arrived in top form and was ridden by three time British champion jockey Oisin Murphy, Marche Lorraine needed to improve considerably to trouble the top American fillies and mares and few gave her a chance. But in a race run at a furious pace she made rapid headway to take a narrow lead on the home turn and then held on by the skin of her teeth when challenged on all sides, lengthy deliberation over the photo-finish confirming that she had beaten Dunbar Road by a nose.

While success in the Breeders' Cup Distaff, with its $2m purse, would be a crowning achievement for almost any mare, the six-year-old Marche Lorraine now has the opportunity to bow out in even greater style as the first filly or mare to win the Saudi Cup.

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Draw And Reaction For The US $20m The Saudi Cup

Aero Trem (BRZ) - (Gate 2) - Trainer Antonio Cintra: "This is the first time a South American horse has run in The Saudi Cup, and I am very happy because I am his trainer and I hope for a good run for him. Aero Trem won the Gran Premio Latinoamericano, the most important race in South America in which the best horses from Argentina, Peru, Brazil and Uruguay run - and he won it. He's a fantastic horse and I hope he will run a good race."

Art Collector (USA) - (9) - Neil Poznansky, assistant trainer for Bill Mott: "Gate nine is close to the middle and Art Collector has got some good speed. This was the plan all along, he's been training excellent and that's not a bad draw."

Country Grammer - (USA) - (1) - Trainer Bob Baffert: "I would have preferred an outside draw, but it will be a great race and we're happy to have a horse good enough to be there."

Emblem Road (USA) - (5) - Stable representative Hisham Abdulwahed: "It is a very good opportunity for Emblem Road from his draw in five and it is great that we have got a chance in the race."

Magny Cours (USA) - (7) - Richard Lambert, travelling head lad for trainer Andre Fabre: "It's a perfect draw in the middle of the horses. He might have a little bit less speed than some of the horses around him - the two Americans and the Japanese horse - but it's better to be there than on the outside."

Making Miracles (GB) - (10) - Stable representative Hisham Abdulwahed: "We are happy with the draw for Making Miracles. He is a different horse this year and we are hoping that everything goes well. It is great to have a horse like him."

Mandaloun (USA) - (6) - Trainer Brad Cox: "The draw in six I'm happy with. He tends to race forward, tracking the leaders, so provided he breaks well, and there is no reason why he won't, then I expect he will be up with the pace. He's doing well in his preparation and the draw is good, I'm pretty happy."

Marche Lorraine (JPN) - (13) - Trainer Yoshito Yahagi: "I don't care about the draw over the one-turn course. When she won the Breeders' Cup Distaff, she started from wide draw, so no problem."

Midnight Bourbon (USA) - (3) - Steve Asmussen's assistant Scott Blasi: "It's a good draw for us as he has great tactical speed. The gate situation is a little bit different over here. It's narrower and hence there is no room for a handler in there. So it's a little bit different for the American horses. I think our horses are well schooled in the gate and we will school again on Friday. He has won on the lead before but I have no problem with him stalking as well. He'll be in the race or tracking, right there. Joel [Rosario] has a lot of confidence in him. We're really excited about him having had a few starts on him as well. We added the blinkers in his last race and they seemed to help him out a bit. Moving forward, we're in good shape."

Mishriff (IRE) - (14) - Joint trainer Thady Gosden: "Obviously it's not ideal, but last year he was drawn in 12 before winning so hopefully on Saturday he'll jump well and get into a good place in the back stretch. It's a very competitive looking renewal of the race. He comes here in good form and still shows plenty of enthusiasm."

Real World (IRE) - (4) - Trainer Saeed bin Suroor: "It's the first time I chose a good draw. It's great, I hope he can show his good turn of foot and I think he'll get the distance well."

Sealiway (FR) - (11) - Trainer Francis-Henri Graffard: "I don't like extremes, either inside or outside, so this is not a bad draw. We have very good horses around us and after all, it's [jockey] Ryan Moore who will need to figure out what to do."

Secret Ambition (GB) - (12) - Trainer Bhupat Seemar: "I am a bit in the car park in this race and the sprint but we will just have to do our best and try to get lucky. The horse is doing extremely well and he's a warrior."

T O Keynes (JPN) - (8) - Trainer Daisuke Takayanagi: "Number eight itself is a good draw."

Winners of 16 Group 1s set to contest the world's most valuable race

FEB 11 - Likely runners for the $35.1M Saudi Cup meeting on 25-26 February have been announced, with horses from 16 racing nations set to compete over the two days.

King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh will host 16 races on its dirt and turf tracks, and the highlight of the meeting, the $20m Group 1 Saudi Cup, looks set to be contested by the winners of 16 Group 1 races from six countries.

The field is headed by three-time Group 1 winner and last year's Saudi Cup champion, Mishriff (IRE). A historic second win in the race would see the John & Thady Gosden-trained runner surpass Winx and become the highest earning racehorse of all-time.

Last season's Group 1 Champion Stakes winner, Sealiway (FR) will make his debut for trainer Francis-Henri Graffard, after leaving the stable of Cedric Rossi.

Japan's chances of winning a first Saudi Cup lie with the Daisuke Takayanagi-trained T O Keynes (JPN), an impressive winner of his last start in the Grade 1 Champions Cup at Chukyo in December, and Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Distaff winner, Marche Lorraine (JPN). Trainer Yoshito Yahagi has indicated that his six-year-old will make her final start in Saudi as she bids to end her career with another win at the highest level.

Once again there is a strong contingent from the USA, headed by Brad Cox's Mandaloun (USA), who narrowly got the better of Steven Assmussen's Midnight Bourbon (USA) in the Grade 3 Louisiana Stakes last month. Grade 1 winners, Art Collector (USA), Happy Saver (USA) and Country Grammer (USA) are also set to line up.

Antonio Cintra's Grade 1 Gran Premio Latinamericano winner Aero Trem (BRZ), trained in Uruguay, will be the first South American runner in The Saudi Cup.

The field is completed by locally trained Emblem Road (USA) and Making Miracles (GB), a former Chester Cup winner who qualified by winning the domestic Group 1 Custodian Of The Two Holy Mosques Cup last time out.