This season’s Saudi Cup meeting will see two significant race upgrades as well as a boost to prize money, with both the Sports Boulevard Riyadh Dirt Sprint and Longines Red Sea Turf Handicap becoming Group 2 contests for the first time, while there will also be a number of major upgrades throughout the 2024/25 Riyadh season.

The Sports Boulevard Riyadh Dirt Sprint, won last year by Japanese raider Remake, will see its prize money boosted by US$500,000 to US$2 million, while the Longines Red Sea Turf Handicap, which went to the Aidan O-Brien-trained Tower Of London, will once again be worth US$2.5 million.

The world’s most valuable race meeting will be run on Friday 21 and Saturday 22 February, with day two featuring a Group 3, four Group 2s and two Group 1 races – the Diriyah Gate Development Authority Obaiyah Arabian Classic and the US$20 million Saudi Cup – while day one will be highlighted by the Group 1 Ministry of Culture Al Mneefah Turf Cup for Purebred Arabians and the four-race International Jockeys’ Challenge.

Upgrades for key Saudi Cup meeting qualifiers

Alongside the improvements to The Saudi Cup meeting, several race upgrades have been announced for the domestic Riyadh season, which began at King Abdulaziz Racecourse on 17 October.

These include what will be the first international Thoroughbred Group race staged outside The Saudi Cup meeting; the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup (25 January) which is set to be run as a Group 3 for the first time.

The 1800m race, which serves as a qualifier for The Saudi Cup, was won last season by Power In Numbers when run as a Listed contest.

Another qualifying event for The Saudi Cup meeting has also been upgraded in the form of the Prince Khalid Abdullah Cup (24 January), a qualifier for the Group 2 Howden Neom Turf Cup, and has been promoted from Non-Graded to Listed status.

With the Riyadh season set to extend to Saturday 15 March, the newly promoted Listed King Abdulaziz Racetrack Championship Cup will bring the curtain down on the 2024/25 season.

A number of major races during the Riyadh season have also been rearranged to improve the pattern and aid as prep races for The Saudi Cup meeting.

The King Abdulaziz Cup, previously run in March, will now be contested on 25 January, allowing it to act as a prep race for Saudi-trained horses that may head to the G3 Saudi Derby.

The four Gulf Cooperation Cup races, which are open to horses trained in the GCC countries, and include the Gulf Cup (3yo colts and fillies), the Gulf Cup for fillies (4yo+), the Gulf Cup for Colts and Geldings (4yo+) and the Gulf Cup for Purebred Arabians (4yo+), will be moved from Saudi Cup Trials weekend and will now be run on 7 December.

The 2024/25 Riyadh season runs from 17 October 2024 to 15 March 2025 and will include 710 races, run across 62 racedays, more than ever before.

Prize money across the Riyadh season has also hit a new high with a total of SAR84,628,000/approx. US$22.5 million (excluding The Saudi Cup meeting) set to be won.

HRH Prince Bandar Bin Khalid Alfaisal, Chairman of the JCSA said: “We are delighted to announce further race upgrades both to the 2025 Saudi Cup meeting and across the domestic Riyadh programme this season, which will further strengthen racing both within The Kingdom and internationally.

“The two additional international Group 2 contests now on the Saudi Cup card underlines our continued investment in international racing and our aim to welcome the greatest horses from around the world to our premier meeting.

“Saudi horses tasted success in both the Obaiyah and Al Mneefah Cups at last year’s meeting and with the further strengthening of the domestic programme, through upgrades to races such as the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup, we look forward to once again taking on the best international competitors.

“We extend a warm welcome to all racegoers to come and enjoy the exciting Riyadh racing season ahead, as we build up to The Saudi Cup which promises to be another incredible two days of international competition.”