If you are serious about betting on horses, you cannot miss the $20 million Saudi Cup (G1) at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh. The 1,800-meter (about 1 ⅛-mile) race is not only the richest horse race in the world, but it is one of the most exciting betting opportunities in the world. The 2024 edition drew an overflow field, 14 in the main field plus one also eligible. With such a huge field, payouts in all pools should be huge and exciting!
The Saudi Cup is one of the newest top-level horse races: it started in 2020 and did not get international Group 1 status until 2022. However, in that time, it has drawn some of the best dirt horses in the world. And, horses from all over the world have been live contenders. In fact, horses from the United States, United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, and Japan have won the four editions of the race.
Who will win the largest share of horse racing’s biggest purse? Keep reading to find out, and to see the best places to bet on the Saudi Cup online!
2024 Saudi Cup 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.
Even though racetracks and off-track betting locations offer wagering on the Saudi Cup, remember that if you bet there, you cannot lock in your odds. Instead, you are left to wait until the gates open to know what the actual price on your horse will be. If there is strong late interest on a horse you think can win, your price will suffer.
Your best bet is to play the Saudi Cup at an online sportsbook. Online sportsbooks offer fixed-odds wagering on major horse races. That gives you an advantage, since you can lock in the best price just by placing a bet. Then, all you have to do is watch the race, secure in the knowledge that you know what you will get when your horse wins!
These are the odds on the Saudi Cup horses at the best online sportsbooks:
 |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Betting the Saudi Cup Online
Betting the Saudi Cup online is the best way to be part of the action. Betting online not only lets you get fixed odds on major races, but also gives you the flexibility to bet from your phone, computer, or tablet, anywhere with an internet connection!
There are many options for betting horse racing online, but our experts are here to help. Horseplayers trust our informative online betting site reviews to highlight the sites with the best user interfaces, real market-leading odds, and reliable payouts. They make a confident and profitable decision easy!
Each site also offers bonuses, and each site’s set of incentives appeals to different players based on the bets and stakes they prefer. Taking a few minutes now to figure out which site offers the most lucrative bonuses for your betting style can help you build your bankroll by hundreds or even thousands of dollars.
So, take a few minutes now to find out the best site for you to bet the Saudi Cup online!
Saudi Cup Handicapping
With your account set up and ready for play, it is time to handicap the Saudi Cup. Read on for expert insight about how to pick a winner:
Saudi Cup Top Contenders
Ushba Tesoro is the best bet in the Saudi Cup. In a race with so much early speed drawn in, Ushba Tesoro has the perfect running style: he is an off-pace horse who can lay back virtually anywhere and make a winning late run. With so much speed drawn in, this should be the right running style. And, as a proper top-level dirt horse in Japan who also shipped to win the Dubai World Cup, he has the class and the ability to ship.
Lemon Pop is another appealing shipper from Japan. He will be closer to the pace than Ushba Tesoro, but he is tactical enough to work a stalking trip instead of getting into a speed duel. Although much of his form has come at seven-furlong and one-mile distances, he stretched out well to nine furlongs in the Champions Cup last out, showing he has the stamina to be involved all the way.
One long-priced horse who should be able to benefit from all the speed entered in the Saudi Cup is Senor Buscador. The plucky American comes off a second-place finish behind National Treasure in the Pegasus World Cup over a similar distance. National Treasure stands to have even more pace to deal with up front in this race, meaning the consistent Senor Buscador can find an even better setup.
Saudi Cup Exotic Betting Horses
There is a lot of speed in this race, with the likes of National Treasure and Saudi Crown doing their best when they can make the top. However, Breeders’ Cup Classic winner White Abarrio can also run a winning race if he sits in a stalking spot. Shipping is the question, as he has never raced internationally. But, he has been pointed for this spot since soon after the Breeders’ Cup and he should be a factor from start to finish.
There is often one Saudi local who outruns his odds in this race, and this year Power In Numbers looks like the right local. He was an ungraded-stakes-level horse in the United States early in his career, but in five Saudi starts he has a second-place finish followed by four straight wins. He has proven he can handle the footing at King Abdulaziz, and in terms of pace he is versatile enough to carve out the right trip.
Saudi Cup Best Bets
You have your betting account set up and you have gotten to know the field. There’s just one thing left to do: make your wager! Here are your best bets for the 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
