Saudi Crown (foaled February 20, 2020) is an American

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...

racehorse who won the

Grade I In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

Pennsylvania Derby The Pennsylvania Derby is a race for thoroughbred horses run at Parx Racing and Casino (formerly known as Keystone Race Track, then from 1986 through 2010 as Philadelphia Park) each year. The track's premiere event is open to horses, age three, a ...

as a three-year-old in 2023.

Background

Saudi Crown is a

gray Grey (more frequent in British English) or gray (more frequent in American English) is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning that it has no chroma. It is the color of a cloud-covered s ...

or roan colt that was bred in Kentucky by

China Horse Club China Horse Club (CHC) is a thoroughbred racing and breeding operation. It has won high profile races in Australia, Britain, France, Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore and the United States. Among the best known racehorses it has owned in are 2018 ...

. Saudi Crown is the progeny of

Always Dreaming Always Dreaming (February 25, 2014 – December 10, 2024) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2017 Kentucky Derby and Florida Derby. He had four wins from eleven starts, and earnings of $2,415,860. Background Always Dreaming was a ...

, the

2017 Kentucky Derby The 2017 Kentucky Derby (branded as the 143rd Running of the Kentucky Derby presented by Yum! Brands for sponsorship reasons) was the 143rd running of the Kentucky Derby, and took place on Saturday, May 6, 2017. The Kentucky Derby is a horse ra ...

who entered stud in 2019 and has two crops of racing age. Saudi Crown is Always Dreaming's first graded winner. In 2023 Always Dreaming was standing for $10,000 at WinStar Farm in

Versailles, Kentucky Versailles is a home rule-class city in Woodford County, Kentucky, United States. It lies by road west of Lexington and is part of the Lexington-Fayette Metropolitan Statistical Area. Versailles has a population of 10,534 according to 2024 ce ...

. Saudi Crown is out from an unraced

Tapit Tapit (foaled February 27, 2001, in Kentucky) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse who won three of his six races, including the Wood Memorial Stakes, then a Graded stakes race, Grade I event. He was an immediate success after retiring to stud, ...

mare New Narration. He is one of two winners from as many foals of racing age from his dam, the other being Westphal (

Exaggerator Exaggerator (foaled February 5, 2013 to September 30, 2020) is a retired American Thoroughbred racehorse, winner of the 2016 Preakness Stakes. Racing as a two-year-old in 2015, he won three of his six starts including the Saratoga Special Sta ...

). Saudi Crown has twice been through auctions. As a yearling he was sold at the 2021 Keeneland January Mixed Sale for $45,000. At the 2022 Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's Spring Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training. Pedro Lanz, agent for Faisal Mohammed Alqahtani of FMQ Stables, acquired him there for $240,000 when consigned by Top Line Sales. Saudi Crown is trained by Brad H. Cox.

Career highlights

Saudi Crown did not race as a two-year-old and had his first start as a three-year-old in April at

Keeneland Keeneland Association, Inc. is an equine business based in Lexington, Kentucky. It includes two distinct divisions: the Keeneland Race Course, a Thoroughbred racing facility, and Keeneland Sales, a horse auction complex. It is also known for ...

winning a Maiden Special Weight event over six furlongs. Due to his late development Saudi Crown did not start in any of the Triple Crown events. On July 1, 2023, Saudi Crown was a nose short in a defeat to Fort Bragg in the G3

Dwyer Stakes The Dwyer Stakes is an American Grade III stakes race for three-year-old thoroughbred racehorses held annually at Belmont Park racetrack in Elmont, Long Island, New York. Run in early July, it is open to three-year-old horses and is raced over ...

over a mile at

Belmont Park Belmont Park is a thoroughbred racing, thoroughbred horse racetrack in Elmont, New York, just east of New York City limits best known for hosting the Belmont Stakes, the final leg of the American Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United Stat ...

. On July 29, 2023, on a sloppy track, Saudi Crown was defeated by a nose by

Forte Forte or Forté may refer to: Music *Forte (music), a musical dynamic meaning "loudly" or "strong" * Forte number, an ordering given to every pitch class set * Forte (notation program), a suite of musical score notation programs * Forte (vocal ...

in the G2

Jim Dandy Stakes The Jim Dandy Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race. The Grade II race has been held annually since 1964 at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. The race is open to horses age three over one and one-eighth miles on the dirt. ...

Saratoga Race Course Saratoga Race Course is a Thoroughbred horse racing track located on Union Avenue in Saratoga Springs, New York, Saratoga Springs, New York (state), New York, United States. Opened in 1863, it is often considered to be the oldest major sporting v ...

. On September 23, 2023, Saudi Crown led throughout on a sloppy track at Parx Racing to win the

length Length is a measure of distance. In the International System of Quantities, length is a quantity with Dimension (physical quantity), dimension distance. In most systems of measurement a Base unit (measurement), base unit for length is chosen, ...

defeating Dreamlike with Il Miracolo in third place.

Statistics

''Notes:''
An (*) asterisk after the odds means Saudi Crown was the post-time favorite.

Pedigree

* Saudi Crown is

inbred Inbreeding is the production of offspring from the mating or breeding of individuals or organisms that are closely related genetically. By analogy, the term is used in human reproduction, but more commonly refers to the genetic disorders an ...

4s x 4d to

Unbridled Unbridled (March 5, 1987 – October 18, 2001) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1990 Kentucky Derby and Breeders' Cup Classic. He retired with a career record of eight wins, six places, and six shows in 24 starts, ...

and 4s x 4d to

Storm Cat Storm Cat (February 27, 1983 – April 24, 2013) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse and stallion whose breeding fee during the peak of his stud career was $500,000, the highest in North America at the time. He was the leading sire in North A ...

Notes

References

{{reflist 2020 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States Thoroughbred family 12-c American Grade 1 Stakes winners