Riyadh 2026/2027 Racing Season: 69 Races, SAR197.8M

The Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia has unveiled the 2026/2027 Riyadh Racing Season, a 69-race programme with total prize money of SAR 197.8 million allocated to feature cups and major races. The season runs for six months, from 16 October 2026 to 17 April 2027, at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh.

Spread across 50 race days held mainly on Fridays and Saturdays, the season carries a total prize fund of around SAR 236.3 million, of which SAR 197.8 million is dedicated to major cups and feature races. The calendar again includes Saudi Cup Weekend 2027, which offers more than US$39.6 million in total prize money — headlined by the Saudi Cup itself at US$20 million.

Among the domestic highlights is King Abdulaziz Cups Evening on 12 March 2027, which will offer SAR 10.9 million and is billed as the richest local cups day on the season calendar. That evening also features the Listed Princess Noura bint Abdulrahman bin Faisal Cup, with a purse of SAR 300,000.

New series and bigger purses

The 2026/2027 programme introduces two new series. The Riyadh Crown Series, for locally bred horses, carries SAR 6 million in total prize money across three rounds, while the Riyadh Sword Series, focused on imported mares and fillies, offers around SAR 1.537 million.

Several key domestic cups have seen increased purses. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup, a Group 3 Saudi Cup qualifier, rises from SAR 1.5 million to SAR 2 million. The Listed Crown Prince Cup increases from SAR 1 million to SAR 1.5 million, while the King Saud Cup and King Faisal Cup each climb from SAR 800,000 to SAR 1 million.

With expanded prize money and a packed six-month calendar, the season strengthens the Kingdom's growing profile in international horse racing and offers residents and visitors a full winter of top-level action in the capital.

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