Bob Baffert has won just about everything the international dirt game can throw at a trainer. The Saudi Cup, however, remains the one glaring omission on a résumé that otherwise reads like a Hall of Fame blueprint.

That could change next Saturday at King Abdulaziz Racecourse, where Baffert will saddle Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile winner Nysos (USA) and Nevada Beach (USA), the G1 Goodwood Stakes winner, in the world’s richest race, the G1 USD $20 million Saudi Cup.

It is a challenge Baffert approaches with equal parts hunger and hard-earned respect, especially with last year’s winner Forever Young (JPN) again looming large.

The American trainer knows all too well how unforgiving the Riyadh straight can be. Time and again, he has watched his hopes evaporate inside the final 100 metres, a section of track that has become something of a personal nemesis.

Since the Saudi Cup’s launch in 2020, Baffert has come painfully close. Mucho Gusto finished third in the inaugural running, Charlatan was second in 2021, and Country Grammer repeated that runner-up finish in both 2022 and 2023. Last year, National Treasure finished fourth, while Baffert watched from the sidelines as Forever Young and Romantic Warrior (IRE) produced one of the race’s most memorable duels.

This time, Baffert believes circumstances may finally align.

Nysos has been on a carefully managed path to Riyadh after his Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile success. When a minor setback ruled him out of the Breeders’ Cup Classic, Baffert opted for patience, mapping out a longer-term campaign with the Saudi Cup as a central target.

Nevada Beach, meanwhile, fits the profile Baffert feels is crucial for Riyadh: a big, strong galloper capable of sustaining momentum over a demanding mile and a quarter. The trainer has openly likened him to Country Grammer, a horse who thrived on the Saudi surface.

The operation is already running smoothly on the ground. All three of Baffert’s Saudi runners, including Imagination (USA) for the G2 Riyadh Dirt Sprint, have arrived safely and settled in well, according to longtime assistant Jimmy Barnes. The horses have already stretched their legs on the track and shown no ill effects from the long journey.

Baffert will travel to Riyadh himself to oversee the final preparations, fully aware that winning the Saudi Cup is about far more than prize money.

For a trainer who has conquered the Breeders’ Cup, the Triple Crown, and major races across the globe, the Saudi Cup represents the ultimate unfinished business. The difficulty of the task is not lost on him, but neither is the opportunity.

Top-class riders have been secured. Flavien Prat will partner Nysos in the Saudi Cup and Imagination in the Riyadh Dirt Sprint, while Irad Ortiz Jr. takes the reins on Nevada Beach.

Baffert knows there are no guarantees in a race of this depth and intensity. But after years of near-misses, the Hall of Famer returns to Riyadh convinced he has the right horses, the right timing, and one more genuine shot at finally filling that rare blank on his CV.

Image JCSA