Brad Cox has been down this road before, and each visit has sharpened his understanding of what it takes to succeed on racing’s richest international stage. The multiple Eclipse Award-winning trainer is preparing for another tilt at the Saudi Cup, this time with Bishops Bay (USA), a progressive colt recently added to the colours of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz & Sons.
Cox, whose résumé includes more than 240 Graded and Group stakes victories worldwide, has made three previous attempts at the Saudi Cup without landing the ultimate prize. His closest brush came in 2024, when Saudi Crown finished a creditable third, following earlier efforts with Knicks Go and Mandaloun. Experience, he believes, may finally tip the balance.
“This is our fourth time going over there,” Cox said. “There’s definitely an advantage to having been there before. Dustin Dugas is on the ground ahead of me and he’s been through it. That kind of familiarity matters.”
Bishops Bay arrives in Saudi Arabia with strong recent form and an adaptable temperament that has impressed his new connections. The colt captured the Grade 2 Cigar Mile Handicap at Aqueduct on December 6, only weeks after being acquired for $1.3 million at Keeneland. That victory followed his success in the Grade 3 Forty Niner Stakes, also over a one-turn mile in New York.
Cox was particularly encouraged by how the colt handled a demanding schedule around the time of the sale.
“He left his environment, went to Kentucky, shipped straight back to New York, then turned up and won a major race,” Cox explained. “That tells you a lot about his constitution. He’s shown already that he can overcome challenges.”
Preparation has gone smoothly since, with Cox describing Bishops Bay’s final workout as exactly what the team wanted heading into the Saudi Cup.
“I loved his last breeze. It was a Grade 1 type move. Now it’s about transferring that form and stretching out another eighth of a mile. When horses are thriving like he is, they can perform anywhere in the world.”
Saudi Cup experience shapes Cox’s approach
Cox’s confidence is grounded not only in Bishops Bay’s talent but in lessons learned from earlier Saudi Cup campaigns. Logistics, acclimatisation, and timing have all been fine-tuned as part of a more settled approach to the international challenge.
Alongside his headline contender, Cox will also be represented on the card in the $1.5 million Saudi Derby with My World (USA). The colt comes into the race off consecutive stakes wins in New York, having captured the Nashua Stakes and Jerome Stakes.
“He’s fit, he’s working well, and he’s proven at the distance,” Cox said. “The spacing between races worked out nicely, and the timing just made sense.”
This year’s Saudi Derby carries added significance, serving for the first time as a points-qualifying event toward the Kentucky Derby. That development offers an alternative pathway for leading stables and adds international depth to the traditional spring build-up.
“Travelling here gives us options,” Cox noted. “It doesn’t take us off the Derby trail. It just opens another door.”
Irad Ortiz Jr. has been named to partner My World, while last year’s Saudi Cup-winning rider Junio Alvarado will take the reins on Bishops Bay, completing a team Cox hopes is ready to turn experience into reward.
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