DUBAI: With the Saudi Cup less than three weeks away, the field vying for horse racing鈥檚 biggest prize is starting to take shape.

The second running of the Saudi Cup will take place at King Abdul Aziz Racetrack on Feb. 20, and after the massive success of the inaugural event last year, trainers and owners are hoping their horses are peaking at just the right time.

One of them, Hall of Fame American trainer Bob Baffert, believes the $20 m Saudi Cup, run over 1800m on a dirt track, is the ideal race for his improving four-year-old star Charlatan.

鈥淭he Saudi Cup is perfect timing for Charlatan,鈥� Baffert said.

鈥淚t鈥檚 the perfect distance, we know he ships well and he鈥檚 a good gate horse. I think The Saudi Cup fits the bill perfectly for him.

鈥淗e鈥檚 a really talented horse, he鈥檚 maturing and getting really good now,鈥� the trainer added.

鈥淚 think his talent makes up for his inexperience. He doesn鈥檛 know what it鈥檚 like to lose and I think that鈥檚 a good trait.鈥�

Charlatan鈥檚 career has been blighted by injury, but he roared back with an easy victory in the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes at Santa Anita over Christmas.

鈥淚t鈥檚 very challenging to go somewhere like Saudi,鈥� said Baffert.

鈥淵ou need a horse who has a really great mind and he鈥檚 got that. To win these races you need to be way the best when you鈥檙e travelling that far. I won the Dubai World Cup because I had way the best horse.鈥�

Baffert confirmed that his horse is ready and that he would not have considered sending him to Saudi if he was not 100 percent fit.

The American is well acquainted with the King Abdul Aziz Race Track having had two runners in last year鈥檚 Saudi Cup, with Mucho Gusto finishing in fourth.

鈥淚t was exciting last year,鈥� Baffert said. 鈥淭he facilities were very good and it鈥檚 a very, soft and kind racetrack, one of the kindest racetracks I鈥檝e seen. It was a great experience. That night there was a lot of buzz in the air, it was a great atmosphere."

鈥淚 think The Saudi Cup is great because it gives these older horses a chance to stay in training an extra year and run for that kind of money. It鈥檚 great but it is a challenge.

鈥淚n the Middle East they have a passion for racing. I have a few owners from Saudi who want to get more involved in American dirt racing, which is very good. We need to be a part of The Saudi Cup.鈥�

Another American trainer, Bill Mott, is looking to have another crack at the Saudi Cup after his horse, Tacitus, finished fifth in last year鈥檚 race.

鈥淗e鈥檚 been a little frustrating in that he always flirts with winning a top Grade 1 - he鈥檚 been placed in a lot of prestigious races in the US,鈥� Trainer鈥檚 son and assistant Riley Mott said. 鈥淔or him to win one of these big Grade 1s would mean the world for him in his next career as a stallion.鈥�

Tacitus is owned by Juddmonte Farms, whose founder Prince bin Khalid Abdullah Al Saud died on Jan. 12, 2021.

Mott is looking forward to returning to the Kingdom after the support his horse received last year.

鈥淎ny time we run a horse in the Juddmonte silks it鈥檚 very special,鈥� he added.

鈥淓very trainer in the world desires to train for such an operation. Last year when we brought Tacitus to 萝莉视频 he had a nice little following locally due to the fact he was a Juddmonte horse. He had a lot of fans there on race day.鈥�

鈥淛ust to be in Prince Khalid Abdullah鈥檚 home country was very special,鈥� Mott said. 鈥淭o bring Tacitus back this year is something we鈥檙e very much looking forward to, it was a big reason why he was kept in training.鈥�

Meanwhile, another trainer returning to Riyadh, John Gosden, has his sights set on the Saudi Cup $20 million prize with last year鈥檚 Prix du Jockey Club hero Mishriff.

The four-year-old was runner-up in The Saudi Derby, run on the same dirt track as the world鈥檚 most valuable race, before returning to Europe to complete a summer hat-trick of big-race wins.

鈥淢ishriff has always been a grand horse and he worked nicely going into The Saudi Derby last year,鈥� said Gosden, who is based in Newmarket.

鈥淚t was his first time on the dirt, so you never know but he did have the benefit of a wide draw.鈥�

鈥淚 think he鈥檚 very much a 2000m horse, he鈥檚 got a great stride, great tactical speed and a powerful finish,鈥� he added.

鈥淭his is 1800m and, if you remember from last year, the American horses break, that鈥檚 their game.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e very fast over the first 400m and you really don鈥檛 want to be getting in behind all of that. If you get a basin full of dirt in your face, that鈥檚 what stops turf horses switching to the dirt as they鈥檙e not used to taking all that kickback. That鈥檚 why a wide draw would be advantageous.

Gosden, who is also planning to run Global Giant in the $1million Middle Distance Turf Cup over 2100m and New Treasure in the $1.5million Saudi Derby on February 20, was impressed with the first Saudi Cup meeting last year.

鈥淭he horses were looked after properly in every way, the facilities were great,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he main track is exceptional, the American jockeys always say it鈥檚 the best they ride on anywhere, and the turf course completely blew me away, it was stunning. We all had a superb experience.鈥�