Saudi Cup: Taiba is horse to beat, but Jun Light Bolt intrigues

When Taiba goes to post in the Group 1, $20 million Saudi Cup on Feb. 25, he will not even be a full calendar year into his racing career, which is hard to believe given what he already has accomplished.

Indeed, Zedan Racing Stables' Gun Runner colt has won a trio of Grade 1 races and finished third in the Breeders' Cup Classic. In less than 10 months of racing, he won 4 of 7 starts and earned $1,956,200, a resume that has him favored for the aforementioned Saudi Cup at King Abdulaziz Racetrack in Riyadh.

As always, the question is not whether he will win, but whether he has value.

Taiba is currently 2-1 in some overseas markets, a fair price given my 9-5 fair odds. At the risk of coming off jingoistic, it's hard for me to see any of these other horses as capable of hitting the board in the Classic.

That said, the Champions Cup featured an electrifying run in and out of traffic by Jun Light Bolt, and although Crown Pride got a better trip, he was a best-of-race second in the Japan Group 1. They and Country Pride are clearly the contenders behind Taiba.