Songline, Casa Creed Rematch in Saudi Turf Sprint

American grass horse Casa Creed  begins his 2023 season just where he began in 2022, competing in the $1.5 million 1351 Turf Sprint (G3) at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Saudi Arabia. Last year he narrowly missed in the race when his rally fell a neck short of Japanese raider Songline .

The two horses have a rematch Feb. 25 in the race over 1,351 meters (between 6 1/2 and seven furlongs),  a unique distance longer than most sprints on turf but shorter than a route. Casa Creed, a veteran campaigner, can race as far as a mile, having won the 2022 Fourstardave Handicap (G1T), but when sprinting, he is most effective in longer dashes. The Bill Mott trainee is a two-time Jaipur Stakes (G1T) winner at six furlongs on turf.

Luis Saez, who rode him to victory in the Jaipur and Fourstardave last year, is aboard in the 1351 Turf Sprint, contested around one turn.

The 7-year-old son of Jimmy Creed  —who races for LRE Racing and JEH Racing Stable, headed by sports talk radio host Mike Francesa—will seek to bounce back from a couple of subpar efforts in his final starts of 2022.

He ran fifth in the Turf Mile Stakes (G1T) and ninth in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1T) in the fall, both at Keeneland.

Besides Songline, other top Japanese contenders include Bathrat Leon  and Resistencia . Another Japanese entry, Lauda Sion, is more of an outsider.

Pogo  is likely the best chance of those horses based in Europe. He won three group races in 2022 and finished his season with a seventh-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T) for trainer Charlie Hills.

He is one of numerous entries that finished behind Songline and Casa Creed in the 1351 Turf Sprint last year. He finished fifth.

The 1351 Turf Sprint is the fourth race on the card at 5:45 p.m. local time (9:45 a.m. ET).

Other grass stakes on the card that culminates with the Saudi Cup (G1) include the $1.5 million Neom Turf Cup (G3) and the $2.5 million Red Sea Turf Handicap (G3). The Neom Turf Cup precedes the Turf Sprint as the third race on the card at 5:05 p.m. (9:05 a.m. ET), and the Red Sea Turf Handicap follows the Turf Sprint as the fifth race at 6:25 p.m. (10:25 a.m. ET).

Missed the Cut  and Mostahdaf  head the 2,100-meter (about 1 5/16 miles) Neom Turf Cup, while a contentious field led by Trawlerman , Silver Sonic, Subjectivist , and Echt goes to post in the Red Sea Turf Handicap over 3,000 meters (1 7/8 miles). The two races are void of American-trained runners.