Japan's Lemon Pop carries Godolphin hopes for a first Saudi Cup success

Godolphin's hopes of winning the world's richest horse race - the $20 million Group 1 Saudi Cup - rest on Japanese raider Lemon Pop when the action gets underway at King Abdulaziz racetrack in Riyadh on Saturday.

Japan’s reigning dirt champion goes in the 1,800-metre dirt race that has drawn 14 runners from across Europe, America and Asia.

Trained by Hiroyasu Tanaka and ridden by Ryusei Sakai, the six-year old son of Lemon Drop Kid makes only his second trip to the region.

He was in Dubai last March on World Cup night for the Group 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen but finished out of the running at Meydan. Before that race, Lemon Pop boasted an impressive record of 10 wins with three second-placed finishes in 14 career starts.

Following that disappointment, Lemon Pop bounced back to form with a sensational win in the NAR Grade 1 Mile Championship Nambu Hai before becoming only the fourth horse to win both JRA dirt Grade 1 races with another superior run in the Champions Cup.

His 2023 performances saw him crowned Japan’s Best Dirt Horse ahead of Ushba Tesoro and Derma Sotogake, and he faces both horses in the Saudi Cup.

The field also includes US challengers White Arbarrio, successful in the Breeders' Cup Classic, and Pegasus World Cup winner National Treasure.

“We have great respect for all the horses in the Saudi Cup and this is a big ask for Lemon Pop, not just because of the local horses or those from America, which is the home of dirt racing, but also the Japanese horses,” Harry Sweeney, president of Godolphin in Japan, told the godolphin.com.

“Incredibly, Ushba Tesoro, Derma Sotogake and Lemon Pop have never raced against each other, even in Japan. So, we are respectful of all and even a little afraid of many of the runners.