Saudi Cup Day is Saturday, February 20, 2021
2 December 2020, Saudi Arabia ~ Preparations are fully underway for the USD$30.5m Saudi Cup day, with the turf track at the King Abdulaziz Racetrack in Riyadh scheduled to stage its first race of the new season on January 23, 2021.
The race, held over the same 2,100m trip as the $1m Middle Distance Turf Handicap which opens proceedings on Saudi Cup day, carries an SAR85,000 ($22,000/£17,000) purse and is open to imported horses aged four and older.
Saudi Cup Weekend ~19-20 February 2021
There will be a total of $5m (£3.75m) in prize money offered for the four turf races at the 2021 Saudi Cup two-day meeting held on February 19-20, 2021: the $2.5m Long Distance Turf Handicap, the 1351 Turf Sprint ($1m), the Middle Distance Turf Cup ($1m) and the inaugural Saudi International Handicap ($500k) for horses trained in IFHA Part II or Part III countries.
Michael Prosser, Regional Head of Racing, East Region for The Jockey Club in England, renews his 2020 role as Clerk of the Course for The Saudi Cup and will travel to Riyadh to oversee the turf track’s first use of the new season.
Scheduled a week earlier than the inaugural event, the free to enter – free to run 1800m $20m Saudi Cup remains the highlight of an eight-race card, which now features a boost to the prize money of three dirt races on the undercard.
International Jockeys Challenge, FRIDAY FEBRUARY 19, 2021
Saudi Cup Day, SATURDAY FEBRUARY 20, 2021
King Abdulaziz Racetrack, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA)
The 1600m Saudi Derby sees an increase from $800,000 to $1.5m. The Obaiya Cup for Purebred Arabians held over 2000m will now be worth $2m, up from $1.9m while the purse for The Jockey Club Local Handicap will double to $1m up from $500,000.
The International Jockeys Challenge, held the Friday before Saudi Cup will once again see 14 of the world’s best jockeys, seven women, five international men and two Saudi-based jockeys, compete for a challenge purse of $100,000 and 15 per cent of prize money.
About the Saudi Cup
Organised by the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia and run at the King Abdulaziz Racetrack in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, The Saudi Cup is a two-day festival of international racing headlined by the USD$20m Saudi Cup – the world’s most valuable race.
Established in 2020 with the second renewal set to be run on Saturday February 20, 2021, The Saudi Cup day card carries a total prize purse of $30.5m and features dirt and turf races for the highest calibre of racehorses in the world.
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