Panthalassa holds on to deny Dettori and Country Grammer in Saudi Cup

Famous winner for Japan in world’s most valuable race.

Frankie Dettori and Country Grammer just missed out as Panthalassa produced a remarkable front-running performance to strike gold for Japan in the $20million Saudi Cup.

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 Dettori with a fourth Dubai World Cup success at Meydan a few weeks later.

Following a readying win 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 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.

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