BY JOCKEY CLUB OF SAUDI ARABIA (Edited)
RIYADH—Trainer Doug O’Neill knows how to get it done with big money on the line and returns to Saudi Arabia with Florida-bred Acknowledgemeplz, who is set to contest the $1.5 million Saudi Derby Presented by Zood Realty (Group 3) on Saturday at King Abdulaziz Racecourse.
O’Neill will be hoping the son of Bucchero can add to his impressive list of top tier achievements, joining the ranks of Kentucky Derby presented by YUM! Brands (G1)-winner, Nyquist and Santa Anita Handicap (G1) hero Lava Man.
“He’s always been kind of a gifted horse and it was, of course, pretty amazing to get the invite,” O’Neill said.
“He’s got speed, some stamina and a beautiful way of going. He’s a little bit tricky sometimes cornering, so I think two turns would be challenging for him right now, but a one-turn mile like this is right up his alley and he definitely acts like a better-than-average sort, that’s for sure.”
The flashy chestnut ridgling boasts some intriguing form from his four starts to date – winning on his second outing to get the better of the well-regarded Bob Baffert sophomore, Blacksmith, who was subsequently second in the Grade 2 Los Alamitos Futurity, a race in which Acknowledgemeplz was fourth.
Last time out he set a furious pace – including a second quarter-mile sectional in :21.53 – in the seven-furlong San Vicente (G2) and ultimately finished third beaten just two lengths by winner So Happy.
America’s reigning champion jockey, Flavien Prat picks up the ride, and the Frenchman will have to negotiate a tricky pace scenario that could include lightning-quick Steve Asmussen trainee Obliteration, as well as a quintet of Japanese invaders, nearly all with tactical speed, including the highly regarded, Satono Voyage (Jpn).
“I’m pretty excited to see Flavien on him,” O’Neill said. “He can be pretty magical with horses and I’m hoping he can work his magic with this guy. I think [Acknowledgemeplz] can rate and doesn’t necessarily need the lead, either.
“I’ve done all sorts of things to try to get him to get into a more relaxed rhythm. I have two-minute licked him to get him to relax and then finish on the final turn for home. We haven’t seen the results yet to try to go two turns with him again, but we see him improving. Other than that, he doesn’t seem like an accelerator-stuck kind of horse. He has multiple gears and the one-turn mile suits him.”
Owned by Purple Rein Racing and Mark Davis, Acknowledgemeplz will be O’Neill’s second runner at the world’s richest race meeting and first since its 2020 inaugural, when his Legends of War was sixth in the 1351 Turf Sprint.
Purple Rein Racing’s Jeanie Buss is the current governor and former majority owner of the National Basketball Association’s Los Angeles Lakers, while Davis is the president and owner of Precision Electric Group.
“Our owners, Jeanie and Mark, are super-cool, really love the ponies and going to the races,” O’Neill concluded.
“It would be great to get a win for them. They’ve been good partners together here of late and we’re hoping to keep that going. Unfortunately, neither can make the trip, but they are honored to get their horse invited and hopefully have a chance of winning this race.”
Bred in Florida by Helen and Joseph Barbazon, Acknowledgemeplz is out of Starship Fantasy, by Yes It’s True. An earner of $84,000 in his four races, he was purchased by his current owners for $75,000 out of the Blue River Bloodstock consignment at last year’s Ocala Breeders’ Sales March Sale of 2-year-olds in training.
Return to the February 13 issue of Wire to Wire
