Imagination Leads Home US Pair In Riyadh Dirt Sprint

BOB BAFFERT’S RUNNER BESTS JUST BEAT THE ODDS IN A THRILLER

Image: Imagination (USA) gets the better of Just Beat The Odds (USA) in the Group 2 USD$2m Riyadh Dirt Sprint Presented by Saudi National Bank. Credit: JCSA // Mathea Kelley

The Group 2 USD$2m Riyadh Dirt Sprint Presented by Saudi National Bank once again went to a highly regarded American invader, this time Bob Baffert-trained Imagination (USA), a 5-year-old son of Into Mischief wearing the colours of Starlight Racing.

They co-own the horse with SF Racing, Madaket Stables, Stonestreet Stables, Dianne Bashor, Robert Masterson, Waves Edge Capital, Catherine Donovan and Tom Ryan.

Breaking relatively slowly under Flavien Prat from post 9, the bay sat near the tail of the field through the first 750m of the 1200m test before launching his bid at the 450m mark, tipping out to turn for home seven-wide and then steadily picking up front-runners Just Beat The Odds (USA), American Stage (USA) and Muqtahem (IRE).

At the line, the now four-time winner from 15 starts and Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Sprint runner-up in his last start won by three-quarters of a length over Just Beat The Odds, who was another three-quarters to the good of Muqtahem.

Finishing up in 1:12.002, Imagination became Bob Baffert’s second Saudi Cup night winner following 2022 Saudi Derby winner Pinehurst (USA), who donned the same colours.

Quotes

Bob Baffert, trainer, Imagination, 1st: “Now we can afford to go home! We brought a good one there. He missed the break. He’s not a good gate horse and we were worried about that. We thought he would like this track.

“He’s a miler and you need about a miler to get the six furlongs [1200m here and you need a horse who can go a mile and a quarter to go a mile and an eighth here. This horse, we have been very high on him. He ran second in the Breeders’ Cup, but he’s getting better and better. I had some anxious moments back there because he was getting dirt, but once he turned for home, I knew he had a good chance and would be able to run them down, but still you never know.

“I usually hate the stretch here, but today I liked it. Usually when they hit the 100m mark, my horses start gassing out, but he was just getting going. Brilliant ride by Prat. You have to have a really good horse to win here and they have to show up on this big night. I’m just happy for the whole crew, the ‘Avenger Crew’, winning owner. Shout out to my wife Jill watching at home and I’m a grandfather now, so shout out to Porter, my new grandson. It’s all very exciting.”

Flavien Prat, jockey, Imagination: “He broke a step slow and then I got squeezed but I felt very confident when we hit the turn, he was travelling very well and kicked on good. I think he’s going to keep improving. Bob always loved him, it took him a bit of time to figure it out but with time he’s just getting better and better.”

Irad Ortiz Jr, jockey, Just Beat The Odds, 2nd: “Yeah, I ran big. He tried to the end. He was fighting, before I turned for home I had a horse around me and he jumped on the bit and I thought I had some horse. I waited a few more jumps and then I start going, just got caught on the wire. He ran big, I'm happy with him.”

Muhammad Aldaham, jockey, Muqtahem, 3rd: “It was a tough race, strong horses came from America and Japan. I am happy, we will try to win the next race.”

Jerry Chau, jockey, Self Improvement, 11th: “He just got cut off after the jump. After that he failed to pick up again.”

Mirai Iwata, jockey Yamanin Cerchi, 12th: “I was able to take a good spot but he did not show another gear that I had expected. I thought he could run better. I was disappointed with the result.”

**ENDS**