Chairman'sWelcome
Welcome
Welcome to The Saudi Cup 2023, the fourth renewal of the world’s most valuable race at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh.
It is hard to believe that a year has passed since we staged The Saudi Cup 2022 and we are delighted that once again we have more innovations to The Saudi Cup card to celebrate in February.
With total prize money of $20 million, paid out all the way down to tenth place, The Saudi Cup is the world’s most valuable race and is offered on a weekend card now worth $35.35 million, following the introduction of the Tuwaiq Cup, a contest over 1800m on the dirt held on the Friday of Saudi Cup weekend and worth $500,000.
Our commitment to Purebred Arabian racing continues unabated and this is reflected in the upgrades of the two Saudi Cup weekend contests for Arabians, the $2m Obaiya Arabian Classic and the $1m Al Mneefah Cup, which will be run as a Group 1 and a Group 2 respectively.
Elsewhere on the Friday card we have added another turf race to the ever-popular International Jockeys Challenge, meaning the challenge now consists of a nicely rounded four races – two on the turf and two on the dirt.
Those who have visited King Abdulaziz Racecourse in the past will notice a number of big changes to our premier venue. A programme of infrastructure developments is well underway, and we hope these upgrades will enhance the raceday experience for racegoers, horse connections and, most crucially, the true stars of the show, the horses.
It’s hard to believe that 12 months has passed since we watched the Saudi trained and owned Emblem Road cross the finish line to win the Saudi Cup 2022. Yet as racing in The Kingdom continues to make advances, we look back on the power of this weekend of racing to raise the profile of our sport both domestically and on the international stage in such a positive way.
We know that we can only succeed as a modern racing jurisdiction with the support of the Saudi people as well as the racing industry at large, and we look forward to hosting the racing world in February, re-acquainting ourselves old friends and forging new alliances as we celebrate the fourth renewal of The Saudi Cup.
The Saudi Cup is the world’s most valuable race and is offered on a weekend card now worth
$35.35
million
