2026-27 Riyadh Racing Season Programme Released
• New Fillies and Colts Series add intrigue to Saudi Arabia’s Premier Racing Season
• The eighth renewal of The Saudi Cup scheduled for February 5 - 6, 2027
• The Saudi Derby promoted to Group 2
Riyadh, Thursday 13 August, 2026: The Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia (JCSA) has announced dates for the 2026 – 2027 Riyadh Racing Season, along with a number of new innovations highlighted by the introduction of a colts and fillies series.
Getting underway on 16 October 2026 and concluding on 17 April, 2027, the season will now feature the Riyadh Crown Series open to colts, geldings and fillies, a three-leg event for local bred horses. The SAR6M series kicks off on 4 December 2026 with a 2y/o, 1400m SAR500,00 race before the now 3y/o competitors take in another 1400m Open worth SAR500,000 on January 22, 2027 and concludes by a step up in trip to the 1600m Domestic Group 1 King Abdulaziz Cup with a purse of SAR5m on 12 March, 2027.
Local bred fillies will take part in the SAR1.53M Riyadh Sword Series which gets underway with the 5 December 2026 Prince Abdullah Bin Jalawi Cup for 2y/o worth SAR300,000. The event moves on to the SAR300,000 1000 Guineas over 1400m on January 8, 2027 for 3 y/o fillies before reaching the grand finale with the 1600m Fillies Mile on Saudi Cup day, February 6, 2026 which carries a purse of USD$250,000 and is open to both local and imported fillies.
Elsewhere on the programme the usual highlights of the Riyadh Racing Season feature prominently, with some enhancements including a boost in prize money to the G3 Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup from SAR1.5m to SAR2m and the Listed Crown Prince Cup goes from SAR1m to SAR1.5m.
The King Saud Cup and the Listed King Faisal Cup both benefit from an increase in prize money from SAR800,000 to SAR1m while the Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz Cup and the Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Cup are elevated from SAR700,00 to SAR800,000 each. Finally the Listed King Abdulaziz Racecourse Championship purse goes from SAR300,000 to SAR500,000.
In a welcome development from the Asian Pattern Committee, the 1600m Saudi Derby, held on Saudi Cup day has earned a promotion from Group 3 to Group 2. This race has enjoyed a distinct international flavour since its inaugural running with Japan winning on three occasions courtesy of Full Flat (USA) in the first year, Pink Kamehameha (JPN) in 2021 and global superstar, Forever Young (JPN) in 2024. The USA has struck with Pinehurst in 2022, the UAE with Golden Vekoma (USA) in 2025 and the race has twice stayed in Saudi Arabia thanks to the 2023 exploits of Commissioner King (USA) and the unbeaten Al Haram (IRE) this year.
HRH Prince Bandar Bin Khalid AlFaisal, Royal Court Advisor, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Equestrian Authority and Chairman of the Board of Directors of JCSA, thanked the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, for the ongoing commitment shown to the equestrian sector in Saudi Arabia.
His Highness said: "This support has contributed to consolidating The Kingdom's position on the global horseracing map, and the Riyadh Season 2026/2027 comes as an extension of this journey, with a program that carries measurable initiatives that reflect our ambition to provide a stronger and more competitive season, and to continue to raise the level of racing in line with the position that The Kingdom has reached globally."
With SAR197.8m prizes available for Major Cups for a total of SAR236.3m in prize monery across 50 race days over six months, the JCSA now goes to racing two days per week, every Friday and Saturday. There are 21 feature race days headlined by seven stand out weekends including the Juvenile Championship, The Crown Prince Cup, The Kings’ Weekend, The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques weekend, the Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Festival, The Saudi Cup and the King Abdulaziz Cup.
Some other changes include the a date change for the Founder's Cups to 12 2027, featuring prize money of SAR10.9m, making it the richest day of racing outside The Saudi Cup.
Other developmemts include the naming of a Listed Purebred Arabian race to the Princess Noura bint Abdulrahman bin Faisal Cup, with a financial prize of SAR300,000 thousand riyals, to be held as part of the Founder’s Cups card.
ENDS