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.

Saudi Cup date

The 2025 Saudi Cup is set to take place on Saturday 22nd February 2025.

Saudi Cup 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.

Saudi Cup 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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Saudi Cup most successful jockey

No jockey has won the Saudi Cup more than once, with five different winners across five different races.

Mike E. Smith won the inaugural edition on board Midnight Bisou following Maximum Security's disqualification before David Egan guided Mishriff home in 2021.

Wigberto S. Ramos, Yutaka Yoshida and Junior Alvarado have all added the Saudi Cup to their CV.

Saudi Cup most successful trainer

In identical fashion to the jockeys, no trainer has won the Saudi Cup twice.

Senor Buscador triumphed for Todd W. Fincher in 2024 after Panthalassa claimed the honours for Yoshito Yahagi in 2023. Emblem Road was victorious the year prior with Emblem Road after the successes of John Gosden and Steven M. Asmussen.

Saudi Cup purse

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.