Best horse racing picks today

Saudi Cup 2022

Where : King Abdulaziz Racetrack, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

When : Saturday 26th February, 12:40 ET time

TV : Fox Sports & international betting providers

The Saudi Cup, better known as the ‘Richest Race in the World’, is one the biggest horse racing events in the calendar with a whopping $10 million going to the winner. This race has attracted some of the best horses from across the globe, including 2020 winner Maximum Security and last year's winner Mishriff. There have only been two runnings of this lucrative race. The first was in 2020 and was won by the then Jason Servis-trained colt Maximum Security who just held off a late charge from American mare Midnight Bisou and Benbatl in a thriller. Last year's renewal was won by the John Gosden-trained Mishriff, who ran down Charlatan close to home giving jockey David Egan his biggest success to date. The 2022 Saudi Cup sees horses from multiple countries including England, France, America and Japan ready to battle it out for glory.

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Saudi Cup previous winners

2020

• 1st - Maximum Security (USA) John Servis, Gary Mary West

• 2nd - Midnight Bisou (USA) Steve Asmussen, Bloom Racing Stables

• 3rd - Benbatl (GB ) S bin Suroor, Godolphin

• 4th - Mucho Gusto (USA) Bob Baffert, P Faisal b Khaled

2021

• 1st - Mishrif (IRE) John Gosden, P Abdul Rahman Al Faisal

• 2nd - Charlatan (USA) Bob Baffert, SF Racing / Starlight Racing

• 3rd - Great Scott (GB) A Mishriff, P Faisal b Khaled

• 4th - Knicks Go (USA) Brad Cox, Korea Racing Authority

Saudi Cup betting trends

The dirt track is quite new - and with it only being around three years old - the surface can be quite testing. Front runners have a good record of being placed at the track. This was seen in the 2020 Saudi Cup when front runner Mucho Gusto finished fourth. Last year, strong front runner Charlatan finishing second. American horses tend to fair best on this track. Here’s how US horses placed over the first two meetings of the Saudi Cup. In the last two renewals of the race, American horses have filled the top five spots more than any other nation.

US horses in 2020 Saudi Cup

• Maximum Security - 1st

• Midnight Bisou - 2nd

• Mucho Gusto - 4th

• Tacitus - 5th

US horses in 2021 Saudi Cup

• Charlatan - 2nd

• Knicks Go - 4th

• Sleepy Eyes Todd - 5th

Saudi Cup 2022 favorites

Mishriff (+275 Bet365)

Stall (14)

One of the most popular Saudi Cup 2022 betting picks will certainly be Mishriff. It won well last year, running down Charlatan to give jockey David Egan his biggest career success. Since that success he ran third in the Group 1 Coral Eclipse at Sandown, won by St Mark's Basilica. His next win came in the Group 1 Juddmonte International when he beat a good field including the Aiden O’Brien-trained Love. He capped off the 2021 season by finishing fourth in the Group 1 Qipco Champion Stakes. In that race he looked to make his challenge two out but couldn't get past Dubai Honour and faded to fourth. In comparison to last year, he's coming into this in similar form, but faces an all-round better field. I don't think it will be plain sailing if you're taking the current +275 on offer.

Mandaloun (+400 Bet365)

Stall ( 6 )

Now named the winner of the 2021 Kentucky Derby, Mandaloun made a more than pleasing four-year-old debut when beating Midnight Bourbon last time out in the Grade 3 Louisiana Stakes at Fairgrounds. The son of Into Mischief won well that day pulling away by just under a length at the wire. He's coming into this with a good run under his belt so should be fit and ready. The most important thing is; he should get a race that suits him and Art Collector (+800), who will likely lead from the front and set a good pace to aim at. The ideal position for him would be just sitting off the pace, hopefully in some cover so he can challenge in the home straight as he did in his Kentucky Derby run. If that happens, I could see him being very hard to beat, as in my opinion he's the best American horse in the 2022 Saudi Cup field.

Saudi Cup 2022 outsiders

Art Collector (+800 Bet365) Stall (9)

Five-year-old colt Art Collector managed to get his maiden Grade 1 last year when beating a good field in the Woodward including multiple Grade 1 winner Maxfield. He's coming into this from a small layoff since running down the field in the Breeders Cup Classic. If you're having a play on this colt expect him to jump out and be straight on the lead. With front runners doing well in the last two runnings of the race, expect him to be fighting out the finish if he can handle the track.

He does have a little bit on figures to find with some of the horses at the top of the market, but races can be won or lost at the gates. Like I mentioned, he has speed and likes to be straight on the lead. So, the morning line price of + 800 could be looking much shorter when they break.

Marche Lorraine (+1200 Bet365)

Stall (13)

This Japanese filly was a shock winner of the Breeders’ Cup Distaff when last seen in November. She ran down a really good field that day to pull off one of the biggest upsets in Breeders’ Cup history at odds of +5000. Factoring in the track conditions and how the race should be run, for me she's the dark horse in this race. With the amount of speed at the front with horses like Art Collector +800 and Areo Team +3300, it looks highly likely she will get the pace to aim at. I'm hoping she will get a similar run to Midnight Bisous in the 2020 renewal, where she was late on the scene and fished a narrow second.

Saudi Cup 2022 free betting picks:

Main selection

Mandaloun (+400 Bet365)

Outsider

Marche Lorraine (+1200 Bet365)

Longshot

Tricast : Mandaloun (6) Art Collector (9) Marche Lorraine (13)

Even if the stalls have opened or the tapes have gone up, you can still place a bet on a horse race. Enormous strides have been taken by sportsbooks in recent years to embrace the potential of digital technology, now allowing you to enjoy horse betting online even as a race is being run.

So when the horses have jumped the first fence of the Grand National, if you like the way a horse cleared the obstacle you can place a bet on it to win.