2020 racing preview: 5 races you won’t want to miss

With 2020 just around the corner, now seems like the perfect time to look ahead at the coming year and examine a handful of the best Thoroughbred races on the agenda.

From the inaugural Saudi Cup to the coveted Kentucky Derby (G1), here are five races you won’t want to miss in 2020.

Saudi Cup

When: February 29

Where: King Abdulaziz Racetrack, Saudi Arabia

With a staggering purse of $20 million, including $10 million to the winner, the inaugural running of the Saudi Cup promises to attract some of the best horses in the world. Probable 2019 champions Maximum Security and Midnight Bisou are being pointed toward the 1 1/8-mile race, along with Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) runner-up McKinzie, Dubai World Cup (G1) runner-up Gronkowski and Belmont Stakes (G1) runner-up Tacitus. Even the globetrotting Japanese mare Deirdre has been mentioned as a possible starter.

Dubai World Cup

When: March 28

Where: Meydan, Dubai

While the Dubai World Cup has been surpassed as the world’s richest race, its $12 million purse is still huge, and the 1 1/4-mile race should draw a strong field in 2020. Many of the horses targeting the Saudi Cup will also be considered for the Dubai World Cup, including McKinzie, who is conditioned by three-time Dubai World Cup-winning trainer Bob Baffert.

Kentucky Oaks

When: May 1

Where: Churchill Downs, Kentucky

The 2-year-old fillies of 2019 were a vintage crop. British Idiom proved best with her victory in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1), but Bast, Donna Veloce, Perfect Alibi and Wicked Whisper also flashed signs of serious ability in grade 1 races. With so much talent across the board, it’s exciting to ponder what these fast fillies might achieve in 2020. Just wait until they cross paths in the Kentucky Oaks. They should put on quite a show.

Kentucky Derby

When: May 2

Where: Churchill Downs, Kentucky

The best 3-year-olds in North America will battle for supremacy in the historic Kentucky Derby on the first Saturday in May. Who will handle the testing 1 1/4-mile distance? Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) winner Storm the Court and runaway Iroquois Stakes (G3) winner Dennis’ Moment are among the early favorites, but expect the complexion of the race to change frequently as the Road to the Kentucky Derby heats up throughout the winter.

Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe

When: October 4

Where: Longchamp, France

Internationally acclaimed mare Enable scored back-to-back victories in the 2017 and 2018 editions of the 1 1/2-mile Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, the most prestigious race in Europe. A genuine superstar, who battled to victory in the 2018 Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1), Enable was beaten when bidding for an unprecedented three-peat in the 2019 Arc, but she’ll give the race another go in 2020. If she arrives at Longchamp sound and in peak form, this historic race could go down as the best of the year.