The Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia has announced dates for the 2026-27 Riyadh Racing Season, with the introduction of the new Riyadh Crown Series for locally bred colts, geldings and fillies among the major additions to the program.
The Riyadh season will commence on October 16, 2026 and run through until April 17, 2027, with the Riyadh Crown Series staged across three legs beginning on December 4.
In announcing the Crown Series, HRH Prince Bandar Bin Khalid Al Faisal said, “This support has contributed to consolidating The Kingdom’s position on the global horseracing map.
“The Riyadh Season of 2026-2027 comes as an extension of this journey, with a program that carries measurable initiatives that reflect our ambition to provide a stronger season.
“And now with a more competitive season, it continues to raise the level of racing in line with the position that The Kingdom has reached globally.”
The Riyadh Crown Series commences with a 1400m event for two-year-olds on December 4, carrying prize money of SAR6 million.
The series continues with a 1400m open event for three-year-olds worth SAR500,000 on January 22 before culminating in the 1600m Domestic Group 1 King Abdulaziz Cup, worth SAR5 million, on March 12.
Locally bred fillies will also have the opportunity to contest the SAR1.53 million Riyadh Sword Series, which gets underway on December 5 with the SAR300,000 Prince Abdullah Bin Jalawi Cup for two-year-olds.
The series moves on to the SAR300,000 1000 Guineas over 1400m for three-year-old fillies on January 8 before reaching its finale with the 1600m Fillies Mile on Saudi Cup Day on February 6.
Carrying a purse of US$250,000, the Fillies Mile is open to both locally bred and imported fillies.
Several established races will also receive prize-money increases. The Group 3 Two Holy Mosques Cup rises from SAR1.5 million to SAR2 million, while the Listed Crown Prince Cup increases to SAR1.5 million.
The King Saud Cup and Listed King Faisal Cup increase from SAR800,000 to SAR1 million, while the Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz Cup and Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Cup both rise from SAR700,000 to SAR800,000.
The Listed King Abdulaziz Racecourse Championship also receives a significant boost, with its purse increasing from SAR300,000 to SAR500,000.
In another significant development, the 1600m Saudi Derby, staged on Saudi Cup Day, has been promoted from Group 3 to Group 2 by the Asian Pattern Committee, with its prize money remaining unchanged.
The Saudi Derby has developed a strong international flavour, with Japan winning three editions through Full Flat in the inaugural running, Pink Kamehameha in 2021 and global star Forever Young in 2024.
The United States struck with Pinehurst in 2022 and the UAE with Golden Vekoma in 2025, while the race has twice remained in Saudi Arabia courtesy of Commissioner King in 2023 and Al Haram last year.
A total of SAR197.8 million will be available across the Major Cups, with SAR236.3 million in overall prize money offered across 50 race days during the six-month Riyadh season.
Racing will now be conducted across two days each week, on Fridays and Saturdays, with 21 feature race days headlined by the Two Holy Mosques weekend, Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Festival, The Saudi Cup and King Abdulaziz Cup.
Another program change sees the Founder’s Cups moved to March 12. With SAR10.9 million in prize money on offer, the meeting will become the richest day of racing on the Riyadh calendar outside The Saudi Cup.
The Listed Princess Noura bint Abdulrahman bin Faisal Cup for Purebred Arabians, carrying prize money of SAR300,000, will also be added to the Founder’s Cups card.
