RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Maximum Security can take this vindication to the bank this time. The 2019 champion 3-year-old chased away remaining demons of his Kentucky Derby disqualification by scoring a game victory over an outstanding field in the world’s richest race Saturday night at King Abdulaziz Racetrack in the Middle East. Maximum Security earned $10 million, the largest winner’s share in history, by capturing the $20 million Saudi Cup over runner-up Midnight Bisou. Victory in the world’s richest race stamps Maximum Security as the world’s best horse on dirt. It was not easy. Maximum Security faced a deep field that included Grade 1 winners McKinzie, Mucho Gusto, and Midnight Bisou, the champion older female of 2019. He beat them all and gave jockey Luis Saez and trainer Jason Servis the biggest wins of their careers while easing memories of the Derby disqualification. Servis, who called the Eclipse Award year-end trophy “a little bit of vindication,” is trainer of a whole lot of racehorse. Maximum Security is the sixth all-time money winner with $11,801,900. :: To stay up to date, follow us on: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter “It’s really surreal,” Servis said later Saturday evening. “It hasn’t hit me yet. He came back good, he’s a handful.” Maximum Security, who was racing without Lasix for the first time, scoped clean after the race. Servis said no plans for his next start will be made until a conference call with owners Gary and Mary West and Coolmore. The $12 million Dubai World Cup on March 28 will be discussed. Saturday in Saudi Arabia, Maximum Security beat a good field. In addition to three Grade 1 winners from America and winners of Group 1 races in Europe, Australia, and Japan, Maximum Security defeated champion female Midnight Bisou by three-quarters of a length. Benbatl finished third. The finish order, after the top three was pacesetter Mucho Gusto, Tacitus, Gold Dream, Chrysoberyl, Mjjack, Magic Wand, Gronkowski, McKinzie, Great Scot, North America, and Capezzano. Mucho Gusto broke like a shot and set the pace; Maximum Security chased in second or third positioned outside. With three furlongs remaining, Maximum Security was under a ride. Mucho Gusto opened up briefly into the lane, but Maximum Security kept coming. Saez took Maximum Security inside Mucho Gusto, rallied past that one in deep stretch, and then held off the rail rally of Midnight Bisou. Vindication complete for Maximum Security, who has now crossed the wire first in 9 of 10 starts. As for Midnight Bisou, plans call for her to ship to Dubai in the next week to prepare for the Dubai World Cup, assuming she exits the Saudi Cup in good shape. Making her first start since finishing second in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff, Midnight Bisou may have run the best race of her career for trainer Steve Asmussen. “She’s a champion, a once-in-a-lifetime mare and [three-quarters of a length] short of immortality,” he said. The disappointment of the race was McKinzie, who never got going and finished 11th. “He didn’t break, he left there flat-footed, he didn’t show up,” trainer Bob Baffert said. Baffert-trained Mucho Gusto looked like he might be gone at the head of the lane, but he faded late and finished fourth. Plans for the Baffert duo are pending, although it would be a surprise if McKinzie went to Dubai off his Saudi performance. Tacitus, making his first start in five months, ran just okay to finish fifth.  “I would have preferred him a little closer, but he was trying,” trainer Bill Mott said. “No huge excuse. He got to the outside when he turned into the stretch and he had two and a furlong to run them down, and couldn’t do it.” Attendance figures for King Abdulaziz were unavailable, but the sparse crowd early in the evening did increase later on. An eyeball figure would be 10,000 to 12,000.