Saudi Cup: Date, venue, prize fund, history and more

The most lucrative event in horse racing, here's everything you need to about the Saudi Cup.

Date

The 2027 Saudi Cup is set to take place across two days from Friday 5th February - Saturday 6th February.

Venue

The Saudi Cup is held at the King Abdulaziz Racetrack in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Initially built in 1965 in the Marat district of Riyadh, it was relocated at the start of the 21st century and the new track was officially completed in 2003.

The venue's main track is a 2000m dirt track, which is accompanied by an 1800m turf track which was completed in 2020.

History

Although competitive horse racing in Saudi Arabia dates back to the 1960s, the first edition of the Saudi Cup was held in 2020.

The Saudi Cup is the headline act of the Saudi Cup weekend which includes another Group 1 Purebred Arabian race, the Al Tuwaiq Cup.

Staged annually in February, the event has gone from strength to strength in each year since and has evolved into one of the most anticipated events on the racing calendar.

In light of the Saudi Cup's development, The Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia has progressed from Part III to Part II in the IFHA’s Blue Book, with the intention of achieving Part 1 status in the future.

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Most successful jockey

Ryusei Sakai became the first jockey to win the Saudi Cup on multiple occasions when he steered Forever Young to back-to-back successes in 2025 and 2026.

Most successful trainer

Courtesy of Forever Young's brace and Panthalassa's 2023 win, Yoshito Yahagi has three Saudi Cups to his name.

He is the only trainer to win the race on more than one occasion.

Prize Money

The Saudi Cup is famed for possessing the most lucrative prize in horse racing, $20 million.

Dwarfing the prize fund on offer in the Pegasus World Cup which stands at $3m, the Saudi Cup purse is nearly double that of the Dubai World Cup, with the Meydan event offering a total of $12m.