The $20 Million Saudi Cup 2021: The 19-1 Longshot Mishriff Upsets Favorites, Charlatan Places, 99-1 Longshot Great Scot Shows

The Irish stallion Mishriff, going off at 19-1, in a breathtaking strategic move steadily blazed by favored Charlatan in the last hundred yards of the $20 million 2021 Saudi Cup, suprising American, Irish, British and Saudi touts alike. Charlatan was up front virtually the entire mile-and-an-eighth, but was simply no match for the big Irishman, with jockey David Egan in the irons giving his partner a masterful trip. When the going got tough, with something less than a hundred meters to go, Egan held back his whip hand and simply urged his mount on with the reins.

Charlatan was game until the last, but at the wire looked as if he were slowly being caught in some mud and every bit of spinning he did to get forward only served to slide him further back. It was an optical illusion caused by the fact that Mishriff was going away. He took the win over Charlatan by a length and and a little, paying a respectable $41.60 at Twinspires. For his part, Charlatan paid a predictable $3.00 in place, and Great Scot brought up the rear, paying $27.40

The $10 million victor’s slice of the pie neatly pocketed, up top, for his part, jockey Egan could barely contain himself. It had been an upset, and a big one, despite the fact that the morning line on Mishriff had been 6-1, which is to say, he had been seriously regarded by the bookmakers in the first tier of the challengers behind Knicks Go and Charlatan.

Knicks Go, who never seemed to get off the ground to muster the predicted “match race” with Charlatan, did his absolute best to run a disappointing fourth. Charlatan’s trainer Bob Baffert may or may not be disappointed in his charge, but Charlatan and Mike Smith gave it all they had. There didn’t seem to be any excuses — they just flat got beat. It happens in the best horse races that way sometimes.