Bob Baffert spoke to Nick Luck, who’s out in Saudi Arabia ahead of a big meeting in the global racing calendar.
Here's what Baffert, who runs Nysos and Nevada Beach in the feature, had to say...
I’m here because I’ve brought two good horses.
It’s a challenge, so I wanted to come and see the race again in case I got lucky. I know I’ve won some races on the road, and I wish I could’ve beamed myself in.
Saudi Arabia and the Middle East is really getting involved in racing. I’ve a lot of friends and people I know who are here now.
The Saudi Cup is a big deal, so it’s part of my plan every year to have a horse for the race and we pencilled this in for Nysos.
I’ve approached it in the same way as usual.
At the end of the day, they have to like the surface it and get over it well. They also have to break well and, most importantly, they have to show up.
It’s a tough race, but it’s one of those where I think maybe if I’d have already won it, I don’t know if I would’ve come back because it’s a tough trip.
I think it’s a bucket list kind of race for me now, though, and it’s very important that racing has this race. I think it makes horses more valuable. Everyone wants an American dirt horse, even though I got beat by a turf horse one year [Mishriff in 2021], trained by the great John Gosden.
I’ve seen the race won by some really good horses and by some horses where you think: ‘how did that happen?’
The locals are getting tougher. They’re buying good horses, stepping it up and trying to win it.
How to beat Forever Young
You’ve just got to hope he doesn’t bring his A game. He was beaten in Dubai last year after running a big race here, and he didn’t bring his A game to Dubai that day.
He’s a beautiful horse and if he stood in America, everybody would line up for him. He looks like a typical American dirt horse.
The trainer [Yoshito Yahagi] is great and has done an unbelievable job. I’ve watched him [Forever Young] today and he looks healthy.
They figured out how to win these big races, especially in the desert. The Japanese are really tough.
I also think Forever Young’s jockey [Ryusei Sakai] rides him with such confidence and knows him so well.
Forever Young just finds a way to win. Horses like him and Nysos have a lot of ‘W’s by their name. Those are good horses. They’ve a will to win.
I think we’ve just got to get away clean, break well and get a nice rhythm. It’s all about rhythm. If you can get a nice rhythm, you’ll know how you’re going to handle that last 100m.
Can Nysos keep rolling at the end?
We’re going to find out.
I like the one turn, and I think it’s a good set-up for him, because he can just sit off the pace if they’re flying or whatever.
He’s not one-dimensional. A one-dimensional horse can’t win this race. You’ve got to be able to stalk and pounce.
Nevada Beach
He’s an interesting horse. I like the way he moves over this [surface]. That’s why I brought him. He reminds me a lot of Country Grammer. He’s a big, long, jumping kind of horse who can get a mile and a quarter.
He doesn’t have brilliant speed like Nysos, but he’s a grinder and grinders have won this race. I’m counting on that.
I’ve become a grandfather for the second time this week. I’m excited about that and maybe there are more good things to come!
Listen to every episode of Nick Luck Daily via our sister product
View the latest Global Rankings for horses, owners, breeders, trainers and jockeys
