Trainer Kenny McPeek described the wait for Rattle N Roll to make his first start since a three-quarter-length triumph in the Nov. 29 Clark Stakes (G2) as "sitting on him like a keg of dynamite."
McPeek and Hall of Fame jockey Joel Rosario finally got to light the fuse Jan. 25, and the grade 1 winner exploded in the King Abdulaziz Racecourse stretch to ace his first international test: the SAR$1.5 million The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup (G3).
The 6-year-old son of Connect raced near the rear of the 20-horse field for the first half of the 1,800-meter (about 1 1/8-mile) journey before picking off rivals around the far turn. Momentum was in his favor down the stretch as Rosario pointed him inside of pacesetter and fellow American-based runner E J Won the Cup, trained by Doug O'Neill and ridden by Mike Smith.
Taking command with a furlong to go, Rattle N Roll drew clear to win by 4 3/4 lengths over Wait To Excel and Wootton'sun in 1:52.95. E J Won the Cup faded to sixth.
"Powerful. It was really impressive," McPeek said of Rattle N Roll's performance. "Two of my key people went over there with him: (exercise rider) Danny Ramsey and (assistant trainer) Francisco Serrano. They did a fantastic job and I think this really sets him up for the Saudi Cup."
The local group 1 race—which was an internationally recognized group 3 for the first time this year—served as an automatic qualifier to the $20 million Saudi Cup (G1), to be held at the same course and distance Feb. 22. McPeek said that free spot was the main reason for shipping Rattle N Roll to the Middle East early instead of staying home for the Jan. 25 Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1) at Gulfstream Park.
"It wasn't guaranteed he was going to get in the Saudi Cup unless he won a qualifying race so he needed that," McPeek said. "I think the way that the racetrack plays at Gulfstream wasn't conducive to his running style. He likes a deeper, heavier racetrack and that's what he gets over there. The fact that he gets a run over the track helps too."
Bred in Kentucky by St. Simon Place, Rattle N Roll was a $210,000 purchase at the 2020 Keeneland September Yearling Sale by McPeek as an agent for Lucky Seven Stable. However, Saturday marked the first time in his 24-race career in which his rider did not sport the black and red silks of Lucky Seven. Rosario instead sported the blue, grey and white silks of Saudi businessman Sharaf Mohammed Al Hariri.
Al Hariri was the same man who leased Senor Buscador from Joe Peacock Jr. for his 2024 Saudi Cup victory and Dubai World Cup (G1) third-place effort. According to a Daily Racing Form report in December, Al Hariri's lease of Rattle N Roll will last for three races in the Middle East, also covering the Saudi Cup and Dubai World Cup.
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