The Saudi Cup (Arabic: كأس السعودية) is an international horse race held at

King Abdulaziz Racetrack King Abdulaziz Racetrack, officially named King Abdul Aziz Equestrian Square () is a horse racing venue in Riyadh in Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk ...

Riyadh Riyadh (, ar, الرياض, 'ar-Riyāḍ, lit.: 'The Gardens' Najdi pronunciation: ), formerly known as Hajr al-Yamamah, is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of th ...

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...

. It is the richest horse race ever held, with a $20 million purse.

Race details

The race is notable for its 20 million dollar purse, which makes it the most lucrative event in horse racing. The race is held four weeks after the $3 million

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, and four weeks before the $12 million

Dubai World Cup The Dubai World Cup (Arabic: كأس دبي العالمي) is a Thoroughbred horse race held annually since 1996 and contested at the Meydan Racecourse (Arabic: ميدان) which in Arabic suggests a place wh ...

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Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...

, making it possible for horses in those races to compete. In 2021, the

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

and the Champions Cup in Japan were "Win and You're In" qualifiers for the Saudi Cup. The International Federation of Horseracing Authorities' Grading and Race Planning Advisory Committee assigned

Group 1 Group 1 may refer to: * Alkali metal, a chemical element classification for Alkali metal * Group 1 (racing), a historic (until 1981) classification for Touring car racing, applied to standard touring cars. Comparable to modern FIA Group N * Group On ...

status to the Saudi Cup before its third running, scheduled for February 2022.

History

The first edition of the race was held on February 29, 2020. It was won by an American horse,

Maximum Security Maximum Security may refer to: * Supermax, "control-unit" prisons, or units within prisons * Maximum Security (comics), a comic book miniseries published by Marvel Comics * ''Maximum Security'' (Tony MacAlpine album), 1987 * ''Maximum Security'' ...

, ridden by Luis Saez. The Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia announced two months later that it would withhold Maximum Security's purse money pending an investigation, following the

indictment An indictment ( ) is a formal accusation that a person has committed a crime. In jurisdictions that use the concept of felonies, the most serious criminal offence is a felony; jurisdictions that do not use the felonies concept often use that of a ...

of trainer Jason Servis in the United States. As of October 2021, there has been no resolution on the purse matter.

Winners

*Maximum Security's first-place purse has been held pending an investigation by the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia.

References

* Racing Post: ** , , {{Saudi Cup Open mile category horse races Horse races in Saudi Arabia Sport in Riyadh 2020 establishments in Saudi Arabia Recurring sporting events established in 2020