The Sports Boulevard Riyadh Dirt Sprint and Longines Red Sea Turf Handicap will be run as Group 2 contests for the first time in 2025, it was announced by the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia (JCSA) on Sunday. Both races take place during the Saudi Cup meeting, which is scheduled for Saturday, February 22 as part of the 2024/25 Riyadh season.
The Riyadh Dirt Sprint, won this year by Japanese raider Remake (Jpn) (Lani), will see its prize-money boosted by $500,000 to $2 million, while the Red Sea Turf Handicap, which went to the Aidan O'Brien-trained Tower Of London (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), will once again be worth $2.5 million.
Several race upgrades have also been announced for the domestic Riyadh season, which began at King Abdulaziz Racecourse on Thursday, October 17.
These include what will be the first international Thoroughbred Group race staged outside of the Saudi Cup meeting, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup, which is set to be run as a Group 3 for the first time on Saturday, January 25. The race serves as a qualifier for the Saudi Cup and was won last season by Power In Numbers (Girvin) when run as a Listed contest.
Another qualifying event for the Saudi Cup meeting has also been upgraded in the form of the Prince Khalid Abdullah Cup, a qualifier for the Group 2 Howden Neom Turf Cup. Scheduled for Friday, January 24, the race has been promoted to Listed status.
Meanwhile, the newly-promoted Listed King Abdulaziz Racetrack Championship Cup on Saturday, March 15 will bring the curtain down on the 2024/25 Riyadh season, which includes 710 races, run across 62 racedays, more than ever before. Prize-money across the season has also hit a new high with a total of SAR84,628,000 (around $22.5 million/€20.8 million) on offer, excluding the Saudi Cup meeting.
HRH Prince Bandar Bin Khalid Alfaisal, chairman of the JCSA, said, “We are delighted to announce further race upgrades both to the 2025 Saudi Cup meeting and across the domestic Riyadh programme this season, which will further strengthen racing both within The Kingdom and internationally.
“The two additional international Group 2 contests now on the Saudi Cup card underlines our continued investment in international racing and our aim to welcome the greatest horses from around the world to our premier meeting. Saudi horses tasted success in both the Obaiyah and Al Mneefah Cups at last year's meeting and with the further strengthening of the domestic programme, through upgrades to races such as the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup, we look forward to once again taking on the best international competitors.
“We extend a warm welcome to all racegoers to come and enjoy the exciting Riyadh racing season ahead, as we build up to the Saudi Cup which promises to be another incredible two days of international competition.”
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