It all came down to this, and then nothing happened. To spoil the result somewhat while also providing an effective lead paragraph, none of the guest competitors in the February Invitational picked the winner of the Saudi Cup. The standings remain unchanged, leaving a tie for me to resolve in the experienced division.
After three weeks of chalk in races stateside, this international event was a profound challenge for my contestants. Some guests got close by picking Country Grammer or Cafe Pharoah, the second- and third-place finishers. But no one, myself included, came close to finding Panthalassa, a Japanese front runner switching from turf to dirt. That’s how it goes.
