Saudi Cup is the target of Es-Unico who hopes to emulate Uruguayan horses

Es-Unico, the winner of last year’s Uruguayan Gran Criterium (domestic Group 2), is ready to follow in the footsteps of Aero Trem, fifth in last year’s Group 1 Saudi Cup, with the 3-year-old being targeted at the Group 3 Saudi Derby on Feb. 25.

Antonio Cintra’s assistant trainer Julio Olascoaga is overseeing Es-Unico’s preparation in Dubai and said: “He won the most important race for 2-year-olds in Uruguay. Then he had a problem that did not allow him to compete in the Uruguayan Triple Crown and after that we thought of aiming for the Dubai Carnival and The Saudi Cup meeting.”

Although only four of their horses — Aero Trem, Perfect Love, El Patriota and Ajuste Fiscal — have run previously at The Saudi Cup, Cintra’s team has been focused on the meeting since it started in 2020.

“The planning to run at The Saudi Cup is something that comes from a long time ago,” said Olascoaga. “In the first edition, we already had it in our minds that we wanted to compete there. Our plan is to select the best horses from Uruguay and test them against some of the world’s top performers.”

Unbeaten as a 2-year-old in Uruguay, Es-Unico finished second on his first start in Dubai, the UAE 2000 Guineas Trial over 1,400 meters.

Olascoaga said: “He ran a very good race and ran very hard at the end. It always seemed that a little more distance would help him. The mile of the Saudi Derby will suit him perfectly. His form is at a very high level and he will enjoy the long straight at King Abdulaziz.”

The only question is if he will run in the UAE 2000 Guineas first or go straight to Saudi. “He recovered very well after the race — better than we expected because it was a tough one,” said Olascoaga.

“I think that if he does the same in the