Horse Racing Flourishes with Upgrades in Riyadh Season 2023-2024, Saudi Cup 2024
The Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia recently announced a suite of upgrades for the Riyadh Horse Racing Season of 2023-2024. The season, commencing on October 26, 2023, and concluding on March 16, 2024, will witness a 7% increase in prize money from the previous year, totaling an exciting $21.9 million excluding the Saudi Cup meeting.
The season is also expanding with 56 additional races at King Abdulaziz Racecourse, summing up to 700 races, including 66 more Purebred Arabian races. Each race meeting during the season will now feature 12 races, comprising 10 for Thoroughbreds and two for Purebred Arabians.
Moreover, the domestic Riyadh season will introduce international pattern races with the Crown Prince Cup on December 16, 2023, and the King Faisal Cup on January 13, 2024, now listed races.
In a notable change, the Listed Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup on January 27, 2024, has altered its distance to 1800m from 2000m to align with The Saudi Cup as a key qualifier for the $20 million contest.
Additionally, new Cup races for Thoroughbreds have been added to the Riyadh calendar, including the Imam Mohammed Bin Saud Cup, worth $240,000, during the Kings’ Cups Festival on January 13, 2024, and other Cup races with a prize of $80,000 each.
Saudi Cup 2024 Enhancements
The Saudi Cup 2024, slated for February 23-24, is embracing a new prize fund of an additional $2.25 million compared to its 2023 edition, pushing the total prize money to a staggering $37.6 million across the Riyadh horse racing extravaganza.
This increment mirrors the elevation of certain races like the 2,100m Neom Turf Cup and the 1351 Turf Sprint to global Group 2 status, while the 2100m Al Mneefah Cup for Purebred Arabians will debut as a Group 1 race.
Moreover, the prize funds for the Neom Turf Cup and the 1351 Turf Sprint have been enhanced from $1.5 million to $2 million.
The Saudi Cup weekend will also see other races experiencing a boost in prize money, like the Al Mneefah Handicap from $1 million to $1.5 million and the 1800m Jockey Club Local Handicap from $500,000 to $1.5 million.
The Saudi International Handicap, a race for Thoroughbreds from Part II and Part III racing jurisdictions, will now form part of a nine-race card on the Saudi Cup’s Saturday.
These upgrades reflect the continued commitment of the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia towards fostering a thriving horse racing environment in the Kingdom and on an international scale, as echoed by HRH Prince Bandar Bin Khalid Alfaisal, Chairman of the JCSA.
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