The American horses that ran well on Saturday in Saudi Arabia appear likely to ship straight to Dubai for races on the March 26 Dubai World Cup card. The ones that did not are coming back home. Trainer Steve Asmussen confirmed Saturday that Midnight Bourbon, a solid third in the $20 million Saudi Cup on Saturday, would be aboard the flight shipping Dubai-bound horses from Saudi Arabia that was scheduled to arrive in Dubai early Monday. Midnight Bourbon was beaten 1 1/2 lengths by the Saudi Cup’s massive longshot winner, Emblem Road, after dueling with runner-up Country Grammer for much of the homestretch. Midnight Bourbon now has but two wins from 15 starts but picked up a check of nearly $2 million for his owner, Winchell Thoroughbreds, and now has amassed nearly $3.2 million in earnings. Asmussen won the 2008 Dubai World Cup with Curlin and finished second in 2017 with Gun Runner. Country Grammer, making his first start since May, turned in one of the best races of his career, fighting to the wire as Emblem Road rallied down the middle of the King Abdulaziz Racecourse dirt track. Elliott Walden, president, CEO, and racing manager of WinStar Farm, which owns Country Grammer with Zedan Racing Stables and Commonwealth Thoroughbreds, said in a text message that Country Grammer “came out of the race in good shape” and that connections were likely to send the horse to Dubai. WinStar also co-owns Life Is Good, the spectacularly talented Todd Pletcher-trained colt aimed at the Dubai World Cup after his victory in the Pegasus World Cup. The two other Americans in the Saudi Cup fared worse. Mandaloun, who was favored in parimutuel pools, faded to ninth after racing in contending position turning for home. Garrett O’Rourke, general manager of owner-breeder Juddmonte Farm’s USA operation, confirmed in an email Sunday that Mandaloun would be shipped back to America from Saudi Arabia. :: For the first time ever, our premium past performances are free! Get free Formulator now! “Mandaloun will come home next week and regroup,” O’Rourke said. “No obvious excuse, but not enough confidence to move forward as we know he’s much better than that.” Art Collector, who pressed the pace and faded to 12th, also returns to the US, but Bill Mott’s other runner on the Saudi Cup card, Casa Creed, will travel to Dubai. Casa Creed made a strong run to finish second, beaten a neck, in the $1.5 million 1351 Sprint, so named because the turf race is run over 1,351 meters, which comes out to about 6 3/4 furlongs. The race in Dubai for Casa Creed is the Al Quoz Sprint, contested over a straight six furlongs and won in 2021 by the U.S.-based Extravagant Kid. Art Collector, Mott said, appeared to have come out of his race in good shape. Mott also is considering sending the 3-year-old Gilded Age to the UAE Derby and South Bend to the Godolphin Mile, both races are part of the World Cup undercard.  According to multiple sources, Pinehurst, who held on to win the $1.5 million Saudi Derby, also was shipping to Dubai for the UAE Derby. Trainer Bob Baffert did not respond to text messages sent Saturday and Sunday. There were no immediate reports from Saudi Arabia regarding plans for the Saudi Cup winner, Emblem Road, nor the status of Mishriff, who won the 2021 Saudi Cup but finished last Saturday. Emblem Road has done all his racing in Saudi Arabia, but horses from the kingdom, Arabians and Thoroughbreds, regularly ship to race in Dubai. Trainer Jack Sisterson reported on Twitter that Channel Cat, who clipped heels and fell in upper stretch of the Neom Turf Cup, had escaped injury and would travel back to America as planned. It was a stunningly banner Saudi Cup card for Japan-based horses, which won four rich stakes races and nearly a fifth, when Sekifu missed running down Pinehurst by a half-length. A large number of the Japanese contingent in Saudi Arabia is flying straight to Dubai, though Dancing Prince, who won the Riyadh Dirt Sprint by nearly six lengths, reportedly is returning to Japan and will not race in the Dubai Golden Shaheen on the World Cup program. - additional reporting by David Grening