Dancing Prince Gives Japan Fourth Winner on Saudi Card

In retrospect, it should have seemed inevitable that Dancing Prince would win the Riyadh Dirt Sprint Presented by Saudia (G3) Feb. 26 at King Abdulaziz Racecourse.

After all, Japanese horses—all ridden by Christophe Lemaire—already had three victories on the card. And Dancing Prince was well rested and ready to go after winning his two previous starts back home.

The 6-year-old son of Pas de Trois did go to the post as favorite in international wagering markets. Still, he opened some eyes, leading the way in the 1,200-meter (about 6 furlongs) sprint and drawing off through the late going to win by 5 3/4 lengths.

"Unbelievable," Lemaire said, repeating his one-word reaction to the third of his four wins on the night.

"I can't realize it right now. But it's real," said Japan's leading rider, who booted home winners for four different Japanese trainers on the Saudi Cup (G1) undercard. The beneficiary in the Sprint was Keisuke Miyata.

Good Effort , coming from a winter campaign on the British all-weather courses, was second but it was Japan again finishing third with Chain of Love and fourth with last year's Sprint winner, Copano Kicking.

The American hopeful for the rich dirt sprint, Ginobili , was a late scratch by trainer Richard Baltas. 

Dancing Prince won for the ninth time in 13 starts. It was his first start of 2021, following two wins from three outings in 2020—the most recent of those a victory in the Dec. 12 Capella Stakes (G3) at Nakayama Racecourse.

All four of the Japanese winners on the Saudi Cup program reflect the dominance in Japanese racing of the bloodlines of American champion Sunday Silence. The first three of those victories came on the turf, at distances from sprint to marathon.

Dancing Prince is out of the Bubble Gum Fellow  mare Little Blessing . Bubble Gum Fellow, in turn, was sired by Sunday Silence .