$20 Million Saudi Cup Will be World's Richest Race

Saudi racing officials announced Aug. 7 the inaugural Saudi Cup, to be held Feb. 29 at King Abdulaziz Racetrack in Riyadh, will be the world's richest race, with a purse of $20 million—with $10 million to the winner.

The race will be run at 1 1/8 miles on the dirt with a maximum field of 14 and is designed to land between the Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) at Gulfstream Park at the end of January and the Dubai World Cup (G1) at Meydan at the end of March. Horses finishing first, second, or third at Gulfstream will receive automatic invitations to the Saudi Cup.

The Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia will pay for stables, fodder, veterinary fees, and farrier, as well as arrange and pay for flights and accommodation of connections. The race will be free to enter and free to run with purse money paid through 10th place.

"The introduction of the Saudi Cup as an international race is without doubt the most significant event in the history of horse racing in Saudi Arabia, and demonstrates our resolve to develop this great sport in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and also our ambition to become a leading player on horse racing's world stage," said Prince Bandar bin Khalid Al Faisal, chairman of the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia.

"We look forward to welcoming international horsemen and women, the media, racing enthusiasts, and the public to Riyadh in 2020," Prince Bandar added.

The launch, which took place at the Fasig-Tipton Sales Pavilion in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., also featured Prince Abdullah bin Khalid al Saud. Jockey Frankie Dettori and retired rider Gary Stevens participated in the announcement along with officials of the International Racing Bureau, based in Newmarket, England, a prime facilitator.

"It is an enormous pleasure to be in this historic racing resort among horse people from around the world," said Prince Bandar.

The race, which has been in the planning stages for more than a year and a half, "commemorates the founding of Saudi Arabia as a nation-state by King Abdulaziz Ibn Saud, father of the reigning King Salman, in 1932," Prince Bandar said.

The announcement was made at Saratoga, Saudi officials said, because the race will be run on the dirt and hopes to attract top American runners. To allay concerns expressed by some American horsemen, they presented testimony that King Abdulaziz Racetrack, opened in 2003, is a fit setting for top-class horses.

"I've been going to King Abdulaziz Racetrack ever since it opened," Dettori said. "It's based on Belmont, in that it's a one-turn mile and a quarter. Of all the dirt tracks I've ridden, it's the one I like best, as you can win from the front, and you can win from behind. It's a fair track.

"The other thing I like," Dettori added, "is that the kickback is so much less than on other dirt tracks. I don't know why, but the sand seems finer and doesn't stick. You only need a couple of pairs of goggles, where on other tracks you need four or five. It's a kinder track that I can see turf horses handling."

Edgar Prado, Oisin Murphy, Kerrin McEvoy, and Olivier Peslier were among 10 other jockeys also referenced by Saudi officials as offering praise for the racing surface.

Jose Ortiz rode his first race outside the United States at King Abdulaziz Racecourse, finishing second aboard Leeman in the 2016 King Abdulaziz Cup (G1), and reported positively on the experience and the track.