With a $20 million purse, there's plenty at stake in Saturday's 2021 Saudi Cup. Trainer Bob Baffert will send out Charlatan, who's crossed the finish line first in all four of his career races. Charlatan is the 7-5 favorite in the latest 2021 Saudi Cup odds. Brad Cox will send out Knicks Go in the Saudi Cup 2021, the second-favorite on the morning line at 5-2. Steve Asmussen and Bill Mott also have entries in the 2021 Saudi Cup lineup, and six horses are listed at 15-1 or lower.
The 2021 Saudi Cup post time is 12:40 p.m. ET. With a highly accomplished field ready to enter the starting gate on Saturday, you'll want to see the horse racing predictions from SportsLine's Jody Demling before making any 2021 Saudi Cup picks.
A fixture in the horse racing world who has been writing about, talking about and betting on races for years, Demling had a stellar 2020 season. At one point last year, he picked the winner of six consecutive races: the Saudi Cup, Gotham Stakes, Rebel Stakes, Louisiana Derby, Florida Derby and Belmont Stakes.
In last year's Saudi Cup, Demling picked Maximum Security to win, and the horse won by 3/4 of a length.
This is the same handicapper who hit the Derby-Oaks double at Churchill Downs nine times in the last 12 years. That means he held a ticket with the winners of both the Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby all but three times in his last 12 tries. Anyone who has followed him is up huge.
Now, Demling has handicapped the 2021 Saudi Cup lineup, made his picks and constructed his bets. You can only see his coveted picks here.
Top 2021 Saudi Cup predictions
One shocker: Demling's top pick is not Charlatan, even though he is the 7-5 favorite and has crossed the finish line first in all four starts. In fact, Demling says Charlatan barely cracks the top three.
This speedy four-year-old was one of the leading Kentucky Derby contenders this time last year, even before his six-length victory in a division of the Arkansas Derby (he was later disqualified from that race). However, an injury kept him away from the races until December, when he returned to win the Grade 1 Malibu by 4 1/2 easy lengths.
However, Charlatan has gone this 1 1/8-mile distance only once, which proved to be his slowest race. In fact, his 96 Beyer Speed Figure was a career-low in that outing. This son of Speightstown is bred to excel at shorter distances, so Demling says you should fade him in your 2021 Saudi Cup bets.
Another curveball: Weir is high on Chuwa Wizard, even though he's a long shot at 15-1. He's a target for anyone looking for a huge payday.
"The Japanese invader will be flying in the end," Demling told SportsLine. Chuwa Wizard has finished first in two of his last four races, including a victory last time out in the Champions Cup. The six-year-old's resume also includes wins in the Doilite Kinen, Heian Stakes, JBC Classic, and Kawasaki Kinen. A closer with plenty of speed, Chuwa Wizard has never finished worse than fourth.
How to make 2021 Saudi Cup picks
Demling is also high on a double-digit long shot who will "end up in the money at a solid price," spicing up your 2021 Saudi Cup payouts. He is including that horse in his 2021 Saudi Cup bets, and so should you. He's sharing which horses to back only at SportsLine.
So who wins the Saudi Cup 2021? And which double-digit long shot is a must-back? Check out the latest 2021 Saudi Cup odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Demling's 2021 Saudi Cup picks, all from the expert who nailed last year's winner.
2021 Saudi Cup odds, horses
| Horse | Odds |
|---|---|
| Charlatan | 7-5 |
| Knicks Go | 5-2 |
| Mishriff | 6-1 |
| Military Law | 12-1 |
| Chuwa Wizard | 15-1 |
| Tacitus | 15-1 |
| Max Player | 20-1 |
| Sleepy Eyes Todd | 20-1 |
| Bangkok | 30-1 |
| Global Giant | 30-1 |
| Simsir | 30-1 |
| Derevo | 30-1 |
| Extra Elusive | 30-1 |
| Great Scot | 50-1 |
