Mishriff, a four-year-old son of Make Believe, wins world's richest race

The John Gosden trained Mishriff (4 c Make Believe - Contradict by Raven’s Pass), went one better than his second place finish in last year's Saudi Derby (1600m) when he wore down Charlatan (Speightstown) in the final 100 metres to win the US$20 million The Saudi Cup (1800m), the world's richest horse race.

Ridden by the 21-year-old Irish jockey David Egan, he defeated the Bob Baffert-trained Charlatan by a length, with Great Scot (Requinto) finishing a further six and a half lengths back in third.

Drawn wide, the four-year-old son of Make Believe (Makfi) got himself into a good position behind the leading pair of Charlatan and Knicks Go (Paynter), who set a good pace. Launched in the final bend, Mishriff picked up Knicks Go, who would eventually finish in fourth position, fairly easily and then went after Charlatan.

Mike Smith was hard at work on Charlatan but could do nothing against a determined Mishriff, who covered the 1800 metres on the King Abdulaziz dirt track in 1:49.59.

Egan, who is the retained jockey of Mishriff’s owner/breeder Prince A A Faisal, had not been able to partner the colt when he lifted the Prix du Jockey Club (Gr 1, 2100m) in June last year, because of travel restrictions due to Covid-19 and was obviously delighted to win this important race. His father John Egan, himself an accomplished Group 1-winning jockey, was there to witness his son’s greatest success.

"Unbelievable. I've been dreaming all my life of winning a race like this. Obviously it is the highest thing I will win for a while now; the Saudi Cup is the richest race in the world,” David Egan said.

Trainer John Gosden, who did not make the trip to Saudi Arabia, said: “Full marks to my team. I’m here in Newmarket. His owner/breeder always wanted him to come back for the Saudi Cup. He ran well here last year and through the year except for at Ascot on bottomless ground – he didn’t like that ground. Otherwise he has a superb record. The team here did a very good job with him through the winter and then Thady (Gosden, son and assistant trainer) and the team did a great job out there.

"I think there are very few horses that can switch surfaces like that. I would have to say enormous thanks to the whole of the Saudi Jockey Club for putting on such an amazing day’s racing. The turf track is superb – I was blown away by how good it was when it had only been laid down a few months before when I was there last year. And I have always been told by the top American jockeys and by Frankie Dettori that this is the best main dirt sand track in the world, and I think that is very much proven today that a turf horse can actually switch to it. So many of the tracks are too loose with horrible kickback, but this is a very good test for the thoroughbred.”

Mishriff is one of five stakes winners by Make Believe and is a part of the young sires first crop who are now four-year-olds. His owner, Prince A A Faisal, not only raced Mishriff’s sire but also owned and bred his dam Contradict (Raven’s Pass), his second dam Group Three winner Acts Of Grace (Bahri) and his third dam is Prix de Diane (Gr 1, 2100m) winner Rafha (Kris) - the dam of Invincible Spirit (Green Desert).