Panthalassa storms to victory in $20m Saudi Cup

Country Grammer falls to narrow defeat for second straight year

Panthalassa's jockey Yutaka Yoshida, trainer Yoshito Yahagi and connections react after winning the $20 million G1 Saudi Cup over 1800m at the King Abdulaziz racetrack in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Saturday, February 25, 2023. (AP Photo / Martin Dokoupil)

Panthalassa won the $20 million Saudi Cup in Riyadh. AP

Yutaka Yoshida rides Panthalassa to victory on Saturday. Getty

Yutaka Yoshida and Panthalassa's connections after winnings the Saudi Cup. Reuters

Panthalassa with jockey Yutaka Yoshida wins the $20 million Saudi Cup. AP

Jockey Yutaka Yoshida after winning the Saudi Cup. Reuters

Panthalassa produced a remarkable front-running performance to strike gold for Japan in the $20million Saudi Cup, edging past Country Grammer.

The Bob Baffert-trained Country Grammer was narrowly denied in the world's most valuable race 12 months ago when ridden by Flavien Prat, before providing Frankie Dettori with a fourth Dubai World Cup success at Meydan a few weeks later.

Following victory in California on Boxing Day, the six-year-old returned to Riyadh as one of two leading contenders for the Baffert team along with multiple Grade One winner Taiba, but Panthalassa set a strong gallop from the off at the King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh and could not be reeled in.

Trained by Yoshito Yahagi and ridden by Yutaka Yoshida, Panthalassa dead-heated in last year's Dubai Turf with Lord North who earlier in the day had landed a far less lucrative Winter Derby at Lingfield.

Such was the pace Panthalassa set, Baffert's pair were under pressure before the home turn and it briefly looked like it could be a Japanese one-two-three-four with a trio of compatriots chasing Panthalassa up the straight.

But Dettori conjured a storming late rally out of Country Grammer, with the line coming just too soon as he was narrowly denied once again.