Riyadh 2026-2027 Racing Season: 50 Days, SAR236.3m

The 2026–2027 Riyadh racing season has been unveiled, running for six months at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh from Friday 16 October 2026 to Saturday 17 April 2027. The programme spans 50 race days, with racing held two days a week every Friday and Saturday, and features a total of 69 races.

Total prize money for the season reaches SAR236.3 million, of which SAR197.8 million is allocated to Major Cups across the calendar — a substantial boost for owners, trainers and jockeys competing in the capital.

New series and headline days

A key addition is the Riyadh Crown Series, a three-leg competition for locally bred colts, geldings and fillies with SAR6 million in total prize money. Leg 1, for 2-year-olds over 1400 m, carries a SAR500,000 purse on Friday 4 December 2026. Leg 2, a 1400 m Open for 3-year-olds, is worth SAR500,000 on Friday 22 January 2027. The series concludes with the King Abdulaziz Cup, a Domestic Group 1 over 1600 m worth SAR5 million on Friday 12 March 2027.

That date marks the King Abdulaziz Cups Evening, the richest domestic Cups day of the season with total prizes of SAR10.9 million. It also includes the Listed Princess Noura bint Abdulrahman bin Faisal Cup, worth SAR300,000. Another new addition, the Riyadh Sword Series, is reserved for imported mares with total prize money of SAR1,537,000.

Several established races see higher purses. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup, a Group 3 Saudi Cup qualifier, rises from SAR1.5 million to SAR2 million. The Listed Crown Prince Cup increases from SAR1 million to SAR1.5 million, while the Listed King Saud Cup and Listed King Faisal Cup both rise to SAR1 million.

For Riyadh residents and racing fans, the expanded calendar offers a full winter of weekend fixtures and richer competition at one of the region's leading racecourses.

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